The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has condemned Iran’s decision to sentence the wrestler Navidu Afkari, who died on Saturday, to death.
Fars Province governor Kasem Mousavi told local television on Saturday that the 27-year-old wrestler had been sentenced to death in Adel-Abada prison.
According to Iranian authorities, in 2018, a wrestler killed one security guard during the riots in Shiraz.
The Iranian side said the athlete had confessed to the offense, but his family and human rights organizations said the confession was violently suppressed. The athlete’s advocates said that punishing Afkari was particularly important for Iran, as he had previously been one of the most recognizable athletes, who did not hesitate to criticize the government of his homeland.
“The execution of Navida Afkari in Iran is very sad news. The IOC is shocked by the news,” the IOC said in a statement.
Last week, IOC President Thomas Bach sent a letter to the Iranian president asking the official to pardon the wrestler.
“It is unfortunate that our joint work with the Iranian Olympic Committee, the International Martial Arts Federation and the Iranian Martial Arts Federation has not borne fruit,” the IOC said in a statement. “We are thinking with the Afkari family and his friends.”
Meanwhile, the international human rights organization Amnesty International revealed that Afkari had previously asked for help so that his case could be dealt with in accordance with the law. Afkari has not been able to hire a lawyer, but has been subjected to torture in prison, which he later confessed to.
Iranian action was also condemned by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“We condemn this behavior as much as possible,” Pompeo told Twitter. “It is an immeasurable attack on human dignity that does not even meet the standards of this regime. Iranian voices will not be silenced.”
Condemnation and misunderstanding of Iran’s actions were also expressed by German politician Barrel Kofler, but US President Donald Trump last week sought to pardon the athlete with Twitter entries dedicated to the Iranian side.
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