A Spanish man who went missing after entering Iran while travelling on foot to Qatar for the World Cup has been arrested, a rights group said.
Santiago Sanchez is being held at a detention centre run by the Ministry of Intelligence in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network told The National.
He spoke briefly to two other inmates in neighbouring cells, who have since been released, and told them he was a Spanish citizen who had been arrested by security forces, the rights group said.
While KHRN did not have details of Mr Sanchez's arrest, rights group Hengaw alleged he was arrested in the Kurdish city of Saqqez, the home town of Mahsa Amini, whose death in the hands of Iran's morality police has led to the fiercest protests in decades.
Mr Sanchez was arrested three weeks ago after visiting Amini's grave, a source told Hengaw.
“We learnt this morning from the foreign ministry that there’s a 99 per cent chance he [has been] arrested,” his mother Celia Cogedor told AP on Wednesday.
His sister is due to meet officials at the Spanish foreign ministry in Madrid on Thursday to learn further details.
The foreign ministry said in a statement that the Spanish embassy in Tehran is in touch with Iranian authorities about Mr Sanchez.
The detention comes at a time when anti-regime protests — which began when Amini, 22, died on September 16 — are continuing across Iran.
At least 234 people have since been killed, including 29 children, according to the Oslo-based Iran Organisation for Human Rights.
Protests are expected to intensify on Wednesday, which marks 40 days since Amini's death and the end of the traditional mourning period in Iran.
Mr Sanchez, a former paratrooper, has not been heard from in three weeks, his family said on Monday.
He was last seen in Iraq after hiking through 15 countries on his way to the World Cup in Qatar, but his social media posts stopped on October 1, the day he entered Iran.
He is believed to have been headed for Marivan, in Iran's Kurdistan province, where a family had offered to host him, and then on to Tehran and the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.
His family say he had previously visited Iran in 2019, when he cycled from Madrid to Saudi Arabia.
Several foreigners have been detained since the start of the protests, including two French citizens that Tehran has accused of spying.
Espionage is a common accusation thrown at dual and foreign citizens visiting the country. Iran has arrested visitors in droves since the collapse of the nuclear deal in an attempt to gain international leverage.
Many are held at Tehran's notorious Evin prison, which was the site of a deadly fire on October 15.
Sources from inside the prison, notorious for its gross human rights offences, said the fire was started by authorities' unlawful use of force against prisoners, with shooting recorded more than an hour before the fire allegedly began.
Guide to intelligent investing
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Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
