Австралия предоставила убежище футболисткам женской сборной Ирана: они боялись преследований за отказ петь гимн

Australia granted asylum to members of Iran's women's soccer team, who were in the country, due to the risk of persecution upon their return home for not singing the national anthem before a match, Australian Interior Minister Tony Burke said Monday. Last week, the Iranian players refused to sing before an Asian Cup match in Australia, a gesture considered an act of defiance against the Islamic Republic. Five of the players escaped from the team's hotel in Gold Coast, Australia, during the night and took refuge in a “safe place,” Burke said. "Australian police took them to a safe place. Last night, I gave my final approval to their humanitarian visa applications," he said. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier that Australia had agreed to grant asylum to some members of the Iranian team, hours after Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's last shah, called for the players' safety to be guaranteed. “I just spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the Iranian women's national soccer team. He is taking care of it! He has already taken care of five,” Trump said on his Truth Social network. Trump added that “some, however, feel they must return (to Iran) because they are concerned about the safety of their families, including possible attacks on those family members if they do not return.” «Члены женской сборной Ирана по футболу подвергаются сильному давлению и угрозам со стороны Исламской Республики», — написал в X сын свергнутого шаха (короля). «Им грозят серьезные последствия, если они вернутся в Иран. Я призываю правительство Австралии обеспечить их безопасность и оказать им всю необходимую поддержку», — добавил он. Таким образом, Пахлави присоединился к растущему числу людей, в том числе активистов и политических деятелей, которые призывали Австралию предоставить убежище футболисткам. Например, британская писательница Дж. К. Роулинг, автор саги о Гарри Поттере, написала в своих социальных сетях: «Защитите этих девушек!». AFP