Iran executed 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi after protests against the regime. Human rights activists say the act is part of a broader crackdown targeting athletes. Calls have been made for international sports bodies to take stronger action against Iran.
Iran’s judiciary on Thursday executed 19-year-old champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi after he protested against the Khamenei regime, despite warnings from the U.S. State Department and appeals from Iranian-American wrestlers.
Reports indicate that Mohammadi was killed in a public hanging. Iranian American human rights activists and dissidents described the act as part of a broader effort by authorities to suppress a growing movement seeking to topple the regime.
Nima Far, a human rights activist and Iranian combat athlete, said the execution reflects a wider pattern. He told Fox News Digital that the case was politically motivated and aimed at intimidating the public.
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“His execution was a blatant political murder, part of the Islamic Republic’s pattern of targeting athletes to crush dissent and terrorize society, as seen with Navid Afkari and others executed despite international outcry,” Far said.
Far also criticized international sports bodies for their response. He said stronger action should have been taken before the execution was carried out.
“The IOC and United World Wrestling should have intervened forcefully with public ultimatums, threatening immediate suspension of Iran’s National Olympic Committee and federations if the killing proceeded,” Far said. He added that quiet diplomacy had proven ineffective.
Both organizations issued statements after being contacted by Fox News Digital regarding Mohammadi’s death sentence. Further press inquiries were also sent following the execution.
Far called for immediate consequences, urging global wrestling authorities to act. “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,” he said.
The execution has drawn attention from human rights activists, who say it highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of protesters and athletes in Iran during a period of intensified internal pressure.
