Foreign Affairs The Spanish fan who traveled on foot to Qatar to watch the World Cup disappeared: "We fear that he is being held in Iran due to the political situation"
The Spanish ambassador in Iran confirms that Santiago Sánchez, the adventurer detained more than a month ago, is in "good condition"
"Your family asks that you be released soon", "Freedom for Santiago".
Following these banners, the parents and friends of
Santiago Sánchez
, the Spaniard detained in Iran when he was walking to Qatar to attend the World Cup, have asked for his release this morning in front of the Iranian embassy in Madrid.
During the silent concentration, which was attended by a hundred people, Santiago's mother,
Celia Corredor
, read a statement, the same one that she was able to deliver in person to the Iranian ambassador in Spain last Thursday.
As the mother explained to the numerous media present -journalists from Portugal, Germany or France have covered the event-, last Thursday she went to the Iranian diplomatic headquarters with the intention of leaving the letter and the ambassador asked to see her personally.
"He told me that
a mother was received
, the statement was not received," said Celia, who therefore asked the people summoned "respect, because he has been respectful to me as a mother."
Celia Cogedor interprets the diplomat's gesture as a positive sign for the prompt release of her son.
And the same optimistic interpretation is made of the fact that they have allowed him to
speak for a few minutes
by telephone with Santiago from the jail in Iranian Kurdistan where he is imprisoned.
The communication took place on
December 6
during the visit that the Spanish ambassador in Iran was able to make to Santiago, and in which the diplomat was able to verify that it is in good condition.
"The director of the prison, in a gesture of goodwill, allowed him to speak with us," explained the father of Santiago Sánchez,
Pambu
's father , as his family knows the Spanish adventurer, at the beginning of the concentration.
"
He is in good spirits
, we got that in the communication. The ambassador brought him clothes, chocolate, personal hygiene items, vitamins...", he added.
Celia, for her part, narrated the content of what was discussed with her son in this way: "He told me: 'Mom, I may have been wrong, but this is going to help me
grow and be a better person
.' That is, he is not sunk He told me not to suffer, that he is fine," said the mother, who was excited to learn that among those gathered there were people who had traveled to Madrid from Barcelona and Valencia.
This is the case of Jose, who had come with his son and his granddaughter from Barcelona by car and returned after the act.
They follow Santiago's adventures on Instagram, Jose said, and they had put him up for a few days at his house in Barcelona, during a previous trip.
Santiago Sánchez Cogedor, 41, an adventurer and activist, left San Sebastián de los Reyes (Madrid) on January 8 with the intention of walking some
6,800 kilometers
through 11 countries to reach Qatar for the World Cup that began last November 20 and ending just today.
In his Instagram account
-50,000 followers-
he was counting the different stages of his adventure.
In the last photo she uploaded, on October 1, she is seen with an Iraqi child.
"Last town in northern Iraq, a mountain separates me from reaching Iran the next country before reaching Qatar," he wrote.
After weeks of missing, at the end of October his family learned that he had been detained in Iran.
This was recounted by his mother in the aforementioned statement, which she read during the rally: "On October 2, 2022, he entered Iran and was
arrested and imprisoned when he was visiting the grave
of Mahsa Amini [the young activist who died at the hands of the Iranian police officer for wearing the veil incorrectly] while taking some photos. These photos, for him, were of no greater relevance than the ones he had been taking since he left Spain and in no way intended to threaten the security of the State of Iran," he said. Celia.
"If he could have offended you in any way, I, his mother,
apologize on his behalf
, although I am sure that he has also asked for them. For all this, I would appreciate it if you would convey my words to the competent authorities of your country and consider that Santiago's attitude has not been to want to offend them at any time because this is not in his behavior," the statement concluded.
"Santiago, my son, is an athlete who loves nature. Throughout the trip he has been
giving talks in schools
about how to preserve the environment, cleaning up waste, planting trees, leading by example about the benefits of a simple life without consumerism. superfluous", said the mother, who explained that Santiago was already in Iran in 2019, when he traveled by bicycle to attend the Spanish Soccer Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
"From that trip, we always receive
very positive opinions of Iran
as a whole: its landscapes, its cities, its culture and the hospitality, generosity and kindness of its people," he said in his statement.
A group of activists have carried photos of
Ana Baneira
, the other Spaniard who is imprisoned in Iran.
A 24-year-old woman from A Coruña, a social activist and adventurer like Santiago, was arrested in early November during protests over the death of Mahsa Amini.
The act ended with Celia Cogedor thanking the attendees: "Hopefully we will see each other again to receive you at the airport."
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Articles Ana Maria Ortiz