German President Discusses Iran Situation With Dissident Footballer

Steinmeier announced Wednesday that he had met Iranian football legend and former FC Bayern Munich player saying that “We must not stop calling out this inhumane violence of the Iranian regime.”

Karimi has been steadfast in his support for the protests and is admired by most Iranians.

Steinmeier published a video of his meeting on Instagram, saying that he was shocked by the report of the “brutal” actions of the Iranian regime against its people.

“It is important that the recent violations of human rights in Iran be investigated by independent experts so that the perpetrators are held accountable one day, and it is important that the European Union imposes sanctions against those responsible in Iran,” added Steinmeier.

This is not the first time that an Iranian opposition figure meets high-ranking Western officials. Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Hamed Esmaeilion who is the spokesman of The Association of Victims' Families of Flight PS752.

His wife and nine-year-old daughter were killed when Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by two IRGC missiles over Tehran in January 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew onboard.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Iranian female activist Masih Alinejad in November, hailing the protests in Iran against the Islamic Republic as a “revolution”.