Relatives and friends of one Spanish who was arrested in Iran on his way to Qatar for the World Cup, gathered outside the Iranian embassy in Madrid today to demand his “speedy” release.

This “quiet” demonstration of support for Santiago Sanchez was attended by several dozen people who held a banner reading: “Your family demands your speedy release.”

“Of course my wish for Christmas is to have my son back, I don’t want to (win) the lottery or anything, I want my son,” said Santiago Sanchez’s mother, Celia Cojador, who said she was able to talk for days back with her son, who is “in good health”.

“We ask (Iranian authorities) to understand that he is not a political activist,” one of his friends, José Felix, told AFP.

Football fan, 40-year-old Santiago Sánchez Cogedor embarked on a rather ambitious yet daring journey in early January last year. He traveled on foot from Madrid to Qatar to take part in the opening of the World Cup on November 20, 2022. He had to overcome a distance of thousands of kilometers, passing at least 10 countries, including Greece.

However, his family has not heard from him since early October.

Iran has faced a protest movement following the death of young Mahshi Amini, an Iranian-Kurdish woman detained by the vice police for not wearing the hijab properly.

Since then, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands, including about 40 foreign nationals, have been arrested. Two 23-year-old men were also hanged in connection with the riots.

Source: RES-IPE