Iran executes 19-year-old international wrestling star as fears grow for athletes in wake of anti-government protests
Saleh Mohammadi was hung on Thursday amid an ongoing crackdown on protests in the country by the hardline regime.
Iran has executed one if its top international wrestling stars after the 19-year-old athlete chose to join anti-government protesters in calling out the regime.
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Saleh Mohammadi, a champion wrestler, was put to death by the regime in a public hanging on Thursday, alongside two other people - Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi .
The trio were arrested around 80 miles south of the capital, Tehran, during the regime's crackdown on protests and accused of stabbing two police officers to death “with knives and swords” in separate attacks in Qom, 80 miles from the capital, according to Iranian media.
Mohammadi was allegedly tortured before confessing to "moharebeh" - waging war against God. This is one of the charges Iran uses to impose death sentences on protesters and opponents of the Islamic regime.
Human rights activits have argued he was executed without a fair trial and described the killing as politically motivated.
Nima Far, a human rights activist and Iranian combat athlete, told Fox News: “His execution was a blatant political murder, part of the Islamic Republic’s pattern of targeting athletes to crush dissent and terrorize society,”
Mohammadi was considered a rising star in the world of wrestling and hailed from Qom.
Trump had called on Iranian citizens to take to the streets, urging them to "keep protesting" in the wake of US-Israeli attacks that began on February 28.
Read more: Iran women’s football team return home after asylum drama - but two players stay behind in Australia
It comes as fears grow for the welfare of athletes choosing to protest against the regime, after Iran's women's football team landed back in the country.
The women were branded “wartime traitors” by Iran's leadership after they failed to sing the national anthem at the Asia Cup earlier this month.
Five members of the team claimed asylum in Australia after the government extended the offer of visas in the wake of their protests, with players' family members allegedly threatened.
Iranian American activist, Masih Alinejad, has now said that the executions are a signal from Tehran that its crackdown on protests would continue despite the ongoing bombing.
Calling on the Global Athlete advocacy group to stand with the protestors, she wrote on X: “I call on @GlobalAthleteHQ to stand with Iranian athletes who are being silenced, imprisoned, and executed simply for raising their voices."
“This is not just about sports. This is about human dignity,” Alinejad added.
Iran's national women's football team has returned to the Islamic Republic after several of the players sought asylum in Australia.
Iranian media shared footage of the players entering Iran after landing in Turkey and taking a bus to the border.
They were greeted by some officials at the border.
Two Iranian female players, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, chose to remain in Australia and have been training with the Brisbane Roar club.