Human rights groups report Iranians gathered Friday to mourn a man reportedly shot and killed by security forces after honking his car’s horn in celebration, following the Iran national team’s loss and elimination from the 2022 World Cup tournament.
The Oslo-based advocacy group Human Rights in Iran posted video on its Twitter account showing hundreds of mourners gathered Friday to remember 27-year-old Mehran Samak, in the northwestern city of Bandar Anzali.
The French news agency AFP also featured videos posted to social media of the same gathering.
While several reports say Samak was buried Wednesday, mourners continued to gather and protest his death Thursday and Friday.
Both Human Rights in Iran and the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said Samak was reportedly killed late Tuesday in Bandar Anzali by security forces while honking his car’s horn as part of celebrations in cities across the country.
Iran’s loss to the United States in the World Cup tournament reportedly received a mixed response from Iranians. Many had refused to support the national team, seeing it as representative of the government, which has cracked down hard on more than two months of protests sparked by the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini.
