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Iranian officials executed 27-year-old Greco-Roman wrestling champion Navid Afkari on Saturday, despite pleas from UFC President Dana White and US President Donald Trump to spare his life.
The Iranian government claims that Afkari murdered a security guard during the 2018 protests. Afkari, his lawyers and his family say he was protesting peacefully and that he confessed to the murder only under extreme torture by authorities.
Afkari’s brothers, Vahid and Habib, were sentenced to 54 and 27 years in prison, as well as 74 lashes, in the same case, according to human rights activists in Iran in a BBC report on the case.
White, upon hearing the sentence, approached President Trump, who is a personal friend of his, for help.
The president responded, at least in part, by tweeting: “Upon learning that Iran is seeking to execute a great and popular wrestling star, 27-year-old Navid Afkarai, whose only act was an anti-government demonstration in the streets . They were protesting the ‘worsening economic situation and inflation in the country’ … To the leaders of Iran, I would greatly appreciate it if you would spare the life of this young man and not execute him. Thank you!”
White posted a video on Instagram, saying: “(Afkari) went to a peaceful protest in Iran and they are going to execute him for that. It called my attention. This guy is, first of all, a human being; number two: he is one of us. It could be any of my fighters. All I thought of doing was calling the president and seeing if I could help this man. He said, ‘Let’s take a look. Let me talk to the administration and see if there is anything we can do to save his life. ‘ So the president tweeted (a plea to the Iranian government).
“I would just like to say that I too, with respect and humility, ask the government officials in Iran to please do not execute this man and spare his life.”
Those pleas, as well as those of Afkari’s family and thousands of supporters around the world, fell on deaf ears, as the Iranian government carried out Afkari’s execution on Saturday, according to the BBC.
