Iran Executes Teen Wrestling Champion in Anti-Protest Crackdown
Iran has executed three men as part of the regime's ongoing crackdown on dissent, with a teenage wrestling star among those hanged. The executions occurred in the city of Qom, where 19-year-old Saleh Mohammadi, a member of the Iranian national wrestling team, was put to death alongside two other men named as Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi.
Confessions Extracted Under Torture
According to human rights campaigners, the confessions used to convict the men were extracted through torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Mohammadi reportedly told the court that he had confessed under duress. The men were convicted of 'moharebeh,' a charge meaning 'waging war against God,' which carries the death penalty and has been frequently used by Iranian authorities to target dissidents.
State-linked media, including the Tasnim news agency which is connected to Iran's security forces, reported that the men had confessed, had legal representation, and that the executions followed proper legal procedures. However, these claims are strongly contested by international human rights organizations.
Arrest and Sentencing Timeline
Saleh Mohammadi was arrested in mid-January during widespread demonstrations and was sentenced to death last month. Amnesty International has documented his case, highlighting the allegations of torture. Mohammadi, who was from Qom where he was executed, was an active athlete with a promising career ahead of him.
His final Instagram post in December showed him training in gym clothes featuring an Iranian flag. Earlier posts documented his participation in competitions in Russia with the national team, where he and his teammates earned medals. Since his arrest, his social media accounts have been flooded with hundreds of messages from supporters worldwide.
International Outcry and Regional Context
One message from mid-January tagged U.S. President Donald Trump's official handle, pleading: 'They are planning to execute him. Please don't stay silent. The people of Iran need the world to speak up now. Every minute matters. Stop this execution.'
This execution comes amid a violent start to the year in Iran, following demonstrations, a mounting death toll, and attacks initiated by the U.S. and Israel in late February. The broader Middle East conflict continues to rage across the region. In 2025, Iran reportedly executed more than 2,000 people, marking the highest number of executions since the 1980s, with over half of these capital punishments related to drug offenses.
The case of Saleh Mohammadi underscores the severe human rights abuses occurring in Iran and has sparked international condemnation. As the regime intensifies its crackdown, the global community watches with growing concern over the treatment of dissidents and the use of torture to extract confessions.
