Spanish Trekker Walking To 2022 FIFA World Cup Reportedly Arrested In Iran

As the Iranian government continues to crack down on protests related to its repressive hijab laws, a Spanish trekker who was trekking from Spain to Qatar was reported to have been arrested by Iranian authorities after visiting Mahsa Amini’s grave.

Santiago Sanchez, a 41-year-old adventurer, had planned to go trekking from Spain to Qatar in order to get to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After entering Iran three weeks ago, Sanchez went missing, prompting his family and the Spanish government to start a search on where he could be, according to ABC News.

According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, however, Sanchez has been arrested by the Iranian government in the Kurdish city of Saqqez after he had visited the grave of Amini, whose death has created a protest movement in Iran--the biggest challenge to the country’s government since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the N MENA reported.

The human rights group said that he’s being held at a detention center in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, where he reportedly spoke to two inmates who identified him as a Spanish citizen arrested by Iranian authorities,

“We learned this morning from the (Spanish) foreign ministry that there’s a 99% chance he (has been) arrested,” Celia Cogedor, Sanchez’s mother, said. “We are filled with hope.”

“We have gone from being in permanent suspense to having a very big ray of hope, so now we trust in the efforts of the embassy, which is the one that will officially tell us the situation he is in,” Sanchez’s sister, said.

Iran is currently undergoing a protest movement stemming from the death of Amini in the hands of the country’s “morality police,” who had arrested her for violating hijab laws. Over 234 people are believed to have been killed since the protests began, including 29 children.

The Spanish embassy in Iran is reportedly talking with Iranian authorities regarding Sanchez’s status, though it is unclear if he will be released anytime soon. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to make a statement regarding the matter.