Iranian football great Ali Daei has seen his family targeted for their vocal support of protesters.<\/p>\n
According to The New York Times, Daei has been “voicing” their demands for months and “telling the Iranian government to respond.”<\/p>\n
Sure enough, the Iranian government closed multiple businesses Daei owned and began punishing Daei for speaking out.<\/p>\n
But that pales in comparison to what they’ve done recently.<\/p>\n
The Times reported that the government forced the airline to land mid-flight.<\/p>\n
Daae’s daughter was questioned and released, but was not allowed to re-board the plane. <\/p>\n
This is the latest escalation in the government crackdown on protesters. Iran’s football team also faced threats for making silent protests against the national anthem during the World Cup.<\/p>\n
READ: Iran’s World Cup team remains silent while protesters support national anthem at home<\/strong><\/p>\n The Iranian government clearly understands the power of celebrities, and influential figures speak out.<\/p>\n As such, they specifically target them and their families to ensure silence.<\/p>\n Fox News quoted Middle East experts as explaining how they handle these situations.<\/p>\n “The administration is fixated on celebrities and their families,” Middle East expert and Foreign Desk editor-in-chief Lisa Duftali told Fox News Digital. “They are targeting them in the harshest way to set an example for them.”<\/p>\n Protecting their interests is clearly more important than worrying about losing public support for pursuing a popular figure.<\/p>\n No one knows how hopelessly the Iranian government will move forward as the protests continue.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"iran](\"https:\/\/www.outkick.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Iran-1.jpg\")
Iran government continues to punish dissent<\/h2>\n