Santiago Sanchez, who was making his way from Madrid to Qatar on foot for the Fifa World Cup had gone missing in Iran with news now emerging that he has been detained in Tehran.
The 41-year-old was documenting his journey on Instagram and was last seen in Iraq at the beginning of the month. He planned to proceed through Iran to Qatar in time for Spain’s first game of the global spectacle on 23 November.
However, after weeks of worry, his family and friends have received news that he has been arrested in the Iranian capital where political unrest has been rife of late.
The Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights, based in Iraqi Kurdistan, stated that Sanchez was “kidnapped” by Iranian forces after visiting the grave of Mahsa Amini.
Amini died in custody after being arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly” in September and protests have been widespread since her death.
Sanchez’s mother, Cecelia Cogedor, confirmed the news of his arrest and told TV channel Trece on Thursday that the Spanish foreign ministry told her that her son is in good health.
“The foreign ministry confirmed he was being held in Iran and that his state of health was good,” she said.
Image source: @Hengaw_English
