Colombian singer Shakira has taken to social media to raise awareness about an Iranian footballer who has been sentenced to death by the Islamic regime in Tehran.

The Grammy Award-winning singer took to Twitter to tell her 53 million followers of the plight of Amir Reza Nasr-Azadani ahead of the World Cup final on 18th December.

Shakira – whose 11-year relationship with Spanish footballer Gerard Pique ended earlier this year – wrote: “Today at the final of the World Cup, I only hope the players on the field and the whole world remembers that there’s a man and fellow footballer called Amir Nasr, on death row, only for speaking in favor of Women’s rights.

“I hope there’s more than a minute of silence in our hearts to remember what’s important and more than one voice united screaming for what is just.”

It is not the first time Shakira has expressed her support for Nasr-Azadani. She had written a day earlier: “The fight for equality and human rights should be praised not punished, I stand in solidarity with Amir Nasr.”

A court in Iran sentenced Nasr-Azadani, 26, to be hanged to death after finding him guilty of moharebeh, or waging war against God.

The court said he and two others had killed Colonel Esmaeil Cheraghi and basijis Mohammed Hossein Karimi and Mohsen Hamidi on 17th November.

A basiji is a member of the Basij – a paramilitary volunteer militia and one of the five forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Nasr-Azadani’s confession to the killings was broadcast on state-run TV, but many independent analysts believe his confession was forced.

Sources close to the player told independent media he had attended some protests but had not been present in the area where the colonel and basijis were killed.

They also said security forces had told his family there would be consequences if they spoke of his arrest.

Human rights groups have reported that at least 39 protesters are currently at risk of execution or death-penalty sentences in Iran.