Voria Ghafouri had spoken out in support of the protests.
Iranian authorities on Saturday released on bail former international footballer Voria Ghafouri and prominent dissident Hossein Ronaghi, two of the most prominent figures detained in the crackdown on protests over the death of Mahsa Amini.
The arrest on Thursday of Ghafouri, who is Kurdish and had spoken out in support of the protests, had sparked outrage as the Iranian team plays at the World Cup in Doha.
Ronaghi, meanwhile, had been detained since shortly after the protests began in mid-September, and concerns about his health had increased after he went on a two-month hunger strike.
“Voria Ghafouri and Hossein Ronaghi have been released on bail,” Iran’s Fars news agency said on its social media accounts.
Iran’s Shargh newspaper also said Ghafouri had been released on Thursday following his arrest during a training session.
“Hossein has been released on bail tonight to undergo treatment,” Hossein Ronaghi’s brother, Hassan, wrote on Twitter.
Their father Ahmad posted a photo of Hossein in hospital and said he was released after a 64-day hunger strike.
About 14,000 people have been arrested in the crackdown on protests that erupted after the death of Amini, who was arrested by Tehran’s vice squad, according to the UN.
Among the detainees are dozens of prominent journalists, cultural figures, lawyers and also athletes.
Ghafouri, an outspoken figure who made 28 appearances for Iran until 2019, was arrested after a club training session on charges of spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic, Fars said on Thursday.
Originally from the Kurdish-populated city of Sanandaj in western Iran, Ghafouri was particularly critical of the crackdown in the Kurdish-populated areas of western Iran, where activists say dozens have been killed in the past 10 days.
Ronaghi, 37, a contributor to The Wall Street Journal, has for years been one of the most fearless critics of the Islamic Republic still living in the country.
Ronaghi was taken to Evin Prison after his arrest on September 24. His family had said he was at risk of dying from kidney disease.
Other prominent figures are still caught up in the crackdown on the protests, which are seen as the biggest challenge facing the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
Among them are prominent dissidents Arash Sadeghi and Majid Tavakoli, as well as journalists Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi who helped bring the Amini case to light.
The well-known Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof were arrested this year, even before the current wave of protests started.
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