Iranian-Origin Football Cartoonist Reportedly Disappeared, Related to Riots?

Iranian football cartoonist Hamid Sahari (Instagram/@hamidsahari).

JAKARTA - Iranian football cartoonist Hamid Sahari was rumored to have disappeared during the riots that broke out in Tehran, the Iranian capital, since late 2025.

However, looking at his activity on social media, where he shares his work, the issue is self-refuted.

Based on the latest search results from the end of 2025 to January 2026, Hamid Sahari is still active in making football meme videos, especially on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

He is still seen discussing topics such as the latest developments in football throughout 2025 and the preparations for the 2026 World Cup. However, no one knows the reason why he started to rarely upload his animations on social media.

There is an opinion that says that this is likely due to changes in social media algorithms, the time lag between major football matches, or being focused on longer content than short Shorts/Reels.

The last time he uploaded his animation work was in early January 2026 on Instagram. The post contains a summary of interesting football stories in 2025.

"At a glance about 2025. Hopefully this new year will be the best and most beautiful year of your life, with all your dreams coming true," wrote Sahari accompanying the animation.

However, until now there has been no update of content, both on Instagram and TikTok @hamidsahari, as well as YouTube @hamidsahari-football1 and Facebook. Not a few suspect that Sahari has difficulty uploading his work on social media due to the internet blackout in Iran.

As is known, social unrest in Iran is considered terrible between the authorities and demonstrators. A series of protests by demonstrators began on December 28, 2025 related to economic issues.

As time passed, the demo had turned into a call for an end to the rule of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The Iranian government called the demonstrations riots supported by Iran's enemies.

The protesters have faced deadly violence. Videos of security forces shooting at the demonstrations have been verified by BBC Persian and BBC Verify.

Until last week, according to Reuters, about 5,000 people including 500 security personnel were killed in the incident.

Meanwhile, the US-based human rights group, HRANA, reported that the number of deaths reached 3,308 people, with another 4,382 cases still under review. HRANA also said it had confirmed more than 24,000 arrests.

Until now, there has been no official statement from the Iranian government mentioning the number of victims in the demonstration.

As a result of the incident, an internet blackout was imposed which made it very difficult to get clear information.

Almost all internet and communication services in Iran have experienced a total blackout. On Saturday, January 17, 2026, internet connectivity only reached about 2 percent of the normal level, according to cyber monitor NetBlocks.

Meanwhile, the Iranian government warned the United States not to carry out attacks or interfere in the wave of national unrest that is shaking the country.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that any aggression from Washington would be met with a harsh response by Tehran.

The warning comes amid growing international pressure over the handling of protests in Iran, which were initially sparked by economic grievances and then evolved into political demands to end the clerical rule.

The protests, which began in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, spread to various regions and involved various layers of society.