Iran has executed a 19-year-old champion wrestler along with two other protesters in public hangings in Qom, according to state media and human rights groups. Activists say the move signals a sharp escalation in the government’s crackdown on dissent.
Saleh Mohammadi, a rising wrestling talent, was executed on Thursday alongside Saeed Davodi and Mehdi Ghasemi. The three had been accused of involvement in the killing of two policemen during protests on January 8, 2026.
State media reported that the executions were carried out “in the presence of a group of people in Qom.” The three are the first known protesters to be hanged in connection with the nationwide unrest that began in late December 2025 and continued into January 2026.
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) raised serious concerns about the case and warned that more executions could follow.
“The protesters executed today were sentenced to death following grossly unfair trials, based on confessions extracted under torture and coercion,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the group.
“We consider these executions to constitute extrajudicial killings, carried out with the intent of creating terror to suppress political dissent,” he added.
Amiry-Moghaddam also warned of what may come next. “We are facing a very real and imminent risk of mass executions of protesters. The international community must act with urgency.”
Human rights groups say Mohammadi was forced to confess under torture to charges including “waging war against God,” a capital offence in Iran.
Amnesty International said the three men were denied “adequate defence” and forced to make confessions. It added that the case was pushed through “fast-tracked proceedings that bore no resemblance to a meaningful trial.”
Nima Far, an Iranian combat athlete and human rights activist, called the execution “a blatant political murder.”
“His execution was a blatant political murder, part of the Islamic Republic’s pattern of targeting athletes to crush dissent and terrorize society,” Far told Fox News.
He said the case echoes the 2020 execution of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari, which drew global outrage.
Far urged international sports bodies to take action. “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 executions come after widespread protests earlier this year that led to thousands of arrests. Activists fear more death sentences could be carried out in the coming weeks.
IHRNGO called on the international community to act, saying the European Union in particular should use “all available diplomatic tools” to prevent further executions and protect those at risk.
“The Islamic Republic is fighting for its survival,” Amiry-Moghaddam said. “And it knows that the greatest threat to its existence comes from the Iranian people who demand fundamental change.”
