Tehran, June 12, IRNA – Iran's Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs called for release of the jailed Palestinian soccer player Mahmoud Sarsak.
The ministry released a statement on the threshold of a match between the two Muslim nations of Iran and Qatar tonight, calling on the FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to take necessary measures to get Sarsak released from solitary confinement.
The statement said the Zionist regime has declined to respond to Egypt's efforts to get the imprisoned footballer moved from solitary confinement to an ordinary section of the prison and kept him in jail in the worst possible situation without having any documents against him.
It further called on the FIFA and the AFC as well as Islamic states to show due reaction to the issue.
The Iranian ministry also called on Qatar to render needed support to the young detained soccer player who is currently on hunger strike.
The 25-year-old Palestinian National Team player has been imprisoned by the Israeli government for three years without any trial. Sarsak - who lives in Rafah in the Gaza Strip - was arrested at a checkpoint when he was on his way to the West Bank for a match with his national team. He was interrogated for thirty days and then imprisoned without any trial or a precise legal charge. To protest against his condition and lack of civil liberties, Sarsak currently is on a hunger strike. He has not eaten for 90 days now. His health situation is deteriorating.
