Iran carried out a public execution on Thursday of a 19-year-old wrestling champion, along with two others who were arrested during a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in January. Saleh Mohammadi, a young and promising wrestler from Qom, was reportedly forced into admitting to the serious charge of "waging war against God" after enduring torture.
Human rights groups say he was denied a proper, fair trial, and despite his age, the 19-year-old was ultimately executed. "His execution was a blatant political murder, part of the Islamic Republic's pattern of targeting athletes to crush dissent and terrorize society," Nima Far, a human rights activist and Iranian combat athlete, told Fox News.
Killed Mercilessly by the Regime
Mohammadi, along with fellow protesters Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, was accused by Iranian state media of fatally attacking two police officers during the January protests, allegedly using knives and swords.
Despite calls from the United States to stop the execution, the protesters were convicted and put to death by the authorities in Tehran.
Amnesty International strongly criticized the executions, claiming the men were not given a proper chance to defend themselves and were pressured into making "confessions."
The rights group further argued that the case was rushed through the legal system, describing the proceedings as fast-tracked and lacking even the basic elements of a fair and genuine trial.
No Mercy for Its Own People
Far said that Thursday's execution felt like a disturbing repeat of what happened in 2020, when champion wrestler Navid Afkari was put to death after being accused of killing a security guard during protests.
He urged global sports bodies, including the International Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling, to step in and take action, calling on them to hold Iran accountable for what he described as its harsh treatment of athletes.
"Iran must be banned from international competitions until it halts executions of protesters and athletes, releases those jailed in sham trials, and ends retaliation against competitors who speak out or defect," Far said.
There are growing fears that Iran could carry out more executions in the coming days, especially after the mass arrests linked to the January 8 and 9 protests. Thousands of demonstrators were killed during the crackdown, with the reported death toll exceeding 7,000, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
