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September 13, 2019

Iran's "Blue Girl" Dies After Self-Immolation Protest of Her Arrest for Attending Soccer Match
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In Iran, a woman who set herself on fire to protest her arrest for
trying to attend a soccer match has died of her injuries. Sahar
Khodayari was jailed for three days in March after she disguised herself
as a man and tried to enter a Tehran soccer stadium. When Khodayari
discovered that she faced up to two years in prison, she self-immolated
outside a courthouse in Tehran. Her protest left her with burns on 90%
of her body, before she succumbed to her injuries on September 8. Iran
has no written laws barring women from soccer stadiums, but Human Rights
Watch says a de facto ban is "ruthlessly enforced" by authorities. Sahar
Khodayari's death drew widespread outrage by Iranian social media users,
who gave her the nickname "blue girl" after her favorite team's colors.
Her death also drew protests against the international soccer federation
FIFA, which is accused of failing to hold Iran accountable for its
discrimination against female fans and athletes.


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