The Hon Tony Burke MP,  Minister for Home Affairs

Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Cc: The Prime Minister of Australia; relevant ministers and agencies

Subject: Urgent request for protection for Iran’s women’s national football team while in Australia

Dear Minister Burke,

We the undersigned community organisations and civil society groups, write to express our grave concern for the safety and wellbeing of members of Iran’s women’s national football team currently in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

These concerns are immediate and serious. In their opening match, members of the team reportedly remained silent during the Iranian national anthem. Following that match, Iranian state media publicly condemned the players in extreme terms, with commentary characterising their conduct as betrayal during wartime and calling for them to be treated as traitors. Credible reporting has also raised concerns that regime-connected personnel are embedded with the delegation, that players are not allowed to move freely, and that their communications are restricted.

This situation cannot be separated from the wider crisis now unfolding in Iran. Since 28 February 2026, Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran have developed into a major armed confrontation. The current wartime environment has intensified repression, fear, and the risks faced by anyone publicly perceived by the Islamic Republic as disloyal and a "traitor".

In that context, the public denunciation of these athletes by state-controlled media is deeply alarming. For Iranian women in particular, visibility is dangerous when it is read by the regime as dissent. The players are not simply visiting athletes. They are women under the authority of a barbaric autharstarian state that has a long record of punishing perceived disobedience, including through intimidation, coercion, torture and reprisals against family members. The risks will be especially acute if they are compelled to return while this climate of war, surveillance, and political retaliation continues. Reporting has also indicated that seeking asylum may be extraordinarily difficult for many because of fears for relatives in Iran.

We therefore urge the Australian Government to act with urgency and humanity.

We respectfully call on the Government to:

Ensure that no member of Iran’s women’s national football team is to depart Australia while credible fears for their safety remain;

provide immediate access to independent legal advice, trauma-informed support, interpreters, and confidential protection pathways to each player on private and individual basis;

Ensure that any player wishing to seek protection can do so safely, privately, and without interference from regime-associated officials or handlers;

Work with relevant authorities to guarantee the team’s physical safety and freedom of movement while they remain in Australia; and

Make clear that Australia will uphold its non-refoulement and humanitarian protection obligations in relation to any player at risk of persecution or serious harm.

Australia is hosting this tournament. That carries not only logistical responsibilities, but moral ones.

Where credible evidence exists that visiting athletes may face persecution, imprisonment, coercion, or worse upon return, silence is not a neutral position.

The Australian Government has both the capacity and the responsibility to ensure that these women are protected while on our soil.

This is a moment for principled leadership. These players should not be let to go back into danger because they displayed conscience, dignity, or fear in public view. They deserve safety, due process, and the genuine opportunity to decide their futures free from intimidation.

We would welcome an urgent response and stand ready to assist in any constructive way, including through community liaison and support.

Yours sincerely,
The undersigned organisations, and individuals

IR Regime State Media Video