Iran executes wrestling star Navid Afkari



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“Were you in such a rush to execute the sentence that you also deprived Navid of one last meeting?” Hassan Younesi said on Twitter.

Iranian officials did not immediately react to the lawyer’s accusation.

The International Olympic Committee said Afkari’s execution was “very sad news,” adding in a statement that IOC President Thomas Bach had written to Iranian leaders this week asking for mercy for him, respecting Iran’s sovereignty. .

A global union representing 85,000 athletes on Tuesday called for Iran’s expulsion from world sport if it executed Afkari.

The Afkari case had sparked outrage from Iranians on social media and human rights groups. US President Donald Trump also asked Iran this month not to execute the fighter.

The assassination of the security guard took place during some of the worst riots in a decade due to economic difficulties. Iran’s clerical rulers have blamed the street protests on what they call “thugs” linked to exiles and foreign enemies: the United States and Israel.

Iranian state television aired a video last week in which Afkari appeared to confess to Turkman’s murder. Television also showed what appeared to be confessions written by Afkari, but he said in a recording that circulated on social media that he was forced to sign the documents.

“I hit twice, over and over again,” Afkari was shown saying with a stabbing gesture during a police reenactment of the murder.

Human rights groups frequently accuse Iran’s state media of issuing forced confessions. Iran denies the accusation.

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