The Iranian regime executed a 19-year-old wrestling champion, along with two others, on Thursday, who were arrested in January’s popular uprising.
All three were hanged in public.
Saleh Mohammadi, one of Iran’s fast-rising wrestling stars and a native of Qom, was executed for the crime of waging war against God.
“His execution was a blatant political murder, part of the Islamic Republic’s pattern of targeting athletes to crush dissent and terrorize society,” said Nima Far, a human rights activist and Iranian combat athlete.
Human rights groups claim Mohammadi was executed without a fair trial.
The two who were hanged along with Mohammadi – Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi – stood accused of murdering teo police officers with “knives and swords.”
Mohammadi is not the first Iranian wrestler put to death by the state. In 2020, wrestler Nvid Afkari was executed for allegedly killing a police officer during a 2018 protest.
Far pleaded with international sports governing bodies to ban Iran due to its human rights violations.
“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.
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