An Iranian man identified as Mehran Samak, has been reportedly shot dead by security operatives after Iran’s national team lost to the US and exited the World Cup.
According to the Oslo-based human rights activists group, an anti-government demonstration took place within and outside the stadium in Qatar and across Iran, following their exit on Tuesday night.
The 27-year-old, “was targeted directly and shot in the head by security force following the defeat of the national team against America,” the activist group said.
He was reportedly shot dead after honking his car horn in Bandar Anzali, a city on the Caspian Sea coast, north-west of Tehran.
One of the Iranian international midfielder, Saeid Ezatolahi, who played in the US match, revealed on his Instagram page, that Samak was his “childhood teammate” with a picture of them together in a youth football team.
He said, “After last night’s bitter loss, the news of your passing set fire to my heart.
“Some day the masks will fall, the truth will be laid bare.
“This is not what our youth deserve. This is not what our nation deserves.”
After the match on Tuesday night, footage on social media showed crowds cheering and setting off fireworks.
The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran have also reported that Samak had been killed by the security forces while celebrating Iran’s exit from the world cup.
On Wednesday, CHRI posted a video from Samak’s funeral in which mourners could be heard shouting “death to the dictator”, a chant reportedly aimed at Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
