Iranian footballers who sought asylum in Australia were evacuated from their safe house on Wednesday after a member of the team changed their mind and revealed their location to the Iranian embassy, Canberra said.
Seven members of Iran’s visiting women’s football delegation had sought refuge in Australia after they were branded “traitors” at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.
But one member of the group had second thoughts after speaking to other players who had rejected asylum in favor of returning to Iran, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.
The woman exposed the location of the other asylum seekers when she contacted the Iranian embassy in Australia.
“As a result of that, the Iranian embassy now knew where everyone was,” Burke said. “I immediately instructed them to move people and that was resolved immediately.”
Australian officials “had made sure this was their decision,” Burke said.
There were fears that male carers traveling with the team might try to stop them from applying for asylum.
Most of the team leaves Australia.
The Iranian women’s soccer team left Australia on Wednesday without six of its members, after tearful protests at their departure outside Sydney airport and frantic final efforts inside the terminal by Australian officials trying to make sure the women understood they were being offered asylum.
As the team’s flight time approached and they passed through security, each woman was taken aside to meet alone with officials who explained to them through interpreters that they could choose not to return to Iran.
It was a dramatic conclusion to an episode that has plagued Australia since the Iranian team’s first match at the Asian Cup soccer tournament, when it remained silent during the national anthem.
change of heart
Burke said each player was separated from the team at Sydney airport and given time to consider the offer privately.
The last-minute change of heart could inflame an already tense situation between Iran and Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the women’s bravery and promised they would be welcomed with open arms.
But Iran’s football governing body accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to leave their home country against their will.
Iranian players stood silently as the national anthem played before a tournament match in Australia last week, an act seen as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic republic.
An Iranian state television presenter called the players “wartime traitors”, fueling fears they would face persecution, or worse, if they returned home.
Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, sneaked out of the team hotel under cover of darkness to seek asylum in Australia.
Two more members of the team, a player and a support staff member, were granted asylum before the team left Sydney on Tuesday night.
It was not immediately clear which of the seven had changed their minds.
The Asian Football Confederation said the rest of the Iranian team was in an unnamed hotel in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, as they waited for the next leg of their long journey home.
The governing body said it will “provide all necessary support to the team during their stay until their travel arrangements are confirmed.”
‘Strict surveillance’
Iranian-Australian migration agent Naghmeh Danai spoke to five players earlier this week to discuss their options of staying in Australia.
“They were under a lot of pressure here. They were not allowed to talk to anyone,” he told AFP on Wednesday.
“Under strict surveillance by Iranian government officials within the team as team leaders or internal security,” he said.
Although the team sang Iran’s anthem – an ode to the glory of the Islamic republic – in subsequent matches, human rights activists warned that the damage had already been done.
“Members of the Iranian women’s national soccer team are under significant pressure and constant threat from the Islamic Republic,” said Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah of Iran.
“I ask the Australian government to ensure their safety and provide them with all necessary support,” he said on social media.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)
