Iran Executes 19-Year-Old Champion Wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi, In Public Hanging

On Thursday, recently turned 19-year-old champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi was publicly executed for speaking out against the Khamenei regime of Iran.

Iran Executes 19-Year-Old Champion Wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi, In Public Hanging

Saleh Mohammadi (Image via Yahoo UK)

In Short
  • Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old champion wrestler, was publicly executed in Iran for opposing the Khamenei regime.
  • The Iran Human Rights organization warns of potential mass executions of protesters following the incident.
  • Mohammadi's execution has been condemned as a political killing aimed at silencing dissent among athletes.

On Thursday, recently turned 19-year-old champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi was publicly executed for speaking out against the Khamenei regime of Iran. Mohammadi and two others, Saeed Davodi and Mehdi Ghasemi, were hanged “in the presence of a group of people in Qom.” The Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) has warned about the risk of mass executions of protesters and political prisoners in the coming weeks.

The order was carried out after the three were accused of taking part in the killing of two police officers during recent nationwide unrest. It happened in January, right before Iran went to war with the US-Israel bloc.

The authorities caught Mohammadi and his alleged accomplices in January during the nationwide protest. On March 19, Mohammadi, Ghasemi, and Davodi were executed in a public hanging.

Was Saleh Mohammadi coerced into admitting his involvement in the killings?

According to a report from IHRNGO director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Mohammadi and two others captured by the regime were subjected to “torture,” forcing them to confess to a crime they may or may not have committed. Moghaddam called the executions “extrajudicial killings.”

Iran Executes 19-Year-Old Champion Wrestler, Saleh Mohammadis, In Public Hanging
Saleh Mohammadis (Image via Yahoo UK)

Moghaddam wrote:

The Islamic Republic is fighting for its survival and knows that the greatest threat to its existence comes from the Iranian people, who demand fundamental change. We are facing a very real and imminent risk of mass executions of protesters.

Moghaddam urged the international community, especially the European Union, to take action against the regime’s political killings.

Saleh was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) and moharebeh (enmity against God) through the use of a bladed weapon during illegal gatherings and unrest. According to the verdict, Saleh and his accomplices killed a law enforcement officer (name redacted), whom they suspected of conducting operations against the US-Israeli government, before the war broke out.

IHRNGO’s investigation revealed that Saleh was forced to make self-incriminating confessions in the investigation phase. Even though he later retracted his confession, the court convicted him based on his previous statement.

Nima Far, a human rights activist and Iranian combat athlete who is an expert on elite Iranian wrestling, called the incident “blatant political killing” during an interview with FOX News.

[Saleh’s] 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.

Multiple Olympians spoke out against the execution. Olympic Gold medal wrestler Brandon Slay told FOX News Digital:

My prayers are with Saleh Mohammadi’s family and all who are suffering. In the face of such oppression, I hold to the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only light that overcomes darkness, and only truth that proclaims justice and mercy will one day prevail.

Three-time gold medal bobsled athlete Kaillie Humphries said:

The actions of the Iranian regime are beyond abhorrent. Murdering any teenager for the ‘crime’ of speaking out is unacceptable. Murdering a teenager who was specifically targeted because he is a champion athlete and icon of his country is even worse.

The war between the US, Israel, and Iran broke out on February 28, 2026. A couple of weeks in, the White House used old football footage to address the war efforts, which received backlash online.

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