Unconfirmed reports from Iranian dissident media and human rights activists claim that Iranian authorities executed 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi on Thursday by public hanging. The reports allege he was accused of killing police officers during nationwide protests.
Iran International cited Iran's judiciary-linked Mizan news agency as reporting that Mohammadi was hanged alongside Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi for the alleged killings.
No official confirmation from Iranian authorities or independent verification from two reliable sources was available at time of publication. Iranian wrestling has produced numerous Olympic medalists, but no encyclopedic record confirms Mohammadi as a national-level star.
Sardar Pashaei, a former Iranian wrestler now living abroad, has criticized the regime's control over sports. Pashaei, who competed internationally in freestyle wrestling, has spoken on athlete suppression.
U.S. Olympic gold medalist Brandon Slay won the men's 76 kg Greco-Roman wrestling title at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.[1] Other U.S. Olympians including swimmer Tyler Clary (London 2012 200m backstroke gold[2]) and skeleton athlete Katie Uhlaender have commented on Iranian regime actions in past interviews, though specific reactions to this report could not be verified.
Sources
- Official Olympics website. "Athlete Profile: Brandon Slay". Accessed 2024. https://olympics.com/en/athletes/brandon-slay
- Official Olympics website. "Athlete Profile: Tyler Clary". Accessed 2024. https://olympics.com/en/athletes/tyler-clary
