AUSTRALIA GRANTS HUMANITARIAN VISAS – 5 Iranian women’s football players are granted asylum fearing persecution in Iran
Australia agreed to provide visas to five of Iran’s women’s soccer team players to stay in the country after they sought asylum fearing persecution in their home nation.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the five players had been moved to a safe location by the Australian Federal Police. Iranian media named the players as Zahra Sarbali, Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Ghanbari, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramazani-Zadeh.
The remaining players are in a hotel on the Gold Coast, Burke told reporters, adding that he had also offered the other team members the chance to stay in Australia.
Football’s global players’ union FIFPRO said yesterday that there were serious concerns for the welfare of the Iran team after they were labelled “wartime traitors” for refusing to sing their national anthem before a game.
