Iran Arrests Pegah Ahangarani For Trying To Head To World Cup
Iranian actress Pegah Ahangarani was jailed last week when she prepared to leave for Germany to blog about the women’s World Cup for a German radio station. Ahangarani, 27, was arrested after being warned by the government not to travel to the event.
The Guardian, an English newspaper, said the arrest appears to be part on an ongoing crackdown on female journalists and filmmakers. A woman sports photojournalist, Maryam Majd, also was detained last month as she prepared to leave for the World Cup.
Iran has been at odds with FIFA, the world governing body for soccer. In June, FIFA banned Iran’s women’s team from playing a qualifying match for the 2012 Olympics, ruling that the team’s tight headscarves broke the association’s dress code. In Iran, all women must cover their hair, neck, arms and legs in accordance with Shiite Islamic tenets.



