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Iran Executes 19-Year-Old Wrestler Saleh Mohammadi After January Protest Cases

Rights groups say the convictions rested on coerced confessions after rushed, unfair proceedings.

Overview

  • Iran’s judiciary-linked outlet Mizan confirmed the March 19 executions of Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi in Qom.
  • The three were convicted of moharebeh and accused of killing two police officers during unrest in Qom on January 8, according to state media.
  • Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights report the men were denied independent counsel and forced into confessions under torture.
  • The U.S. State Department had publicly urged Tehran to halt Mohammadi’s execution and those of others sentenced over the protests.
  • Mohammadi, a national team wrestler with a 2024 bronze in Russia, was compared to Navid Afkari as activists press the IOC and United World Wrestling for sanctions.