Kurdish wrestler Heidar Ebrahimi was arrested by Iranian security forces on 18 January in Kamyaran, Kurdistan province, and was taken to an undisclosed location.
“During the [recent anti-government] protests in Kamyaran, a [TV] channel affiliated with the Intelligence Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) published an image of Heider Ebrahimi, accusing him of participating in the protests. It asked that security agencies deal with him”, said a source in an interview with the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN).
Ebrahimi is also the janitor of the Kamyaran Wrestling House.
In the past weeks, due to the increased pressure from the security forces, he was forced to leave his home, which is located within the area of the wrestling house, said the source.
On 8 January, board members of the Kamyaran Wrestling House announced their resignation in a letter to the head of the office of the Ministry of Sport and Youth in protest against the pressures and the expulsion of Ebrahimi from the wrestling house.
So far, there is no information about the athlete’s fate.