Iran
Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari has been sentenced to death, accused of killing a man during 2018 anti-government protests. His parents say his confession was extracted under torture. Photo: ICHRI
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Parents of a wrestler sentenced to death in Iran wrote to the head of the judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, calling on him to carry out medical examinations to establish that their three sons have been tortured by security forces when they were placed in solitary confinement. The wrestler’s case has been publicized internationally, gaining the support of the sporting world and US President Donald Trump.
“We are still not hopeless about the judiciary re-investigating our children’s cases and reconsidering their statements about mistreatment and how confessions were extracted from them. We hope that until their cases are concluded, their basic human rights are observed,” Hossin Afkari and Bahiyeh Namjo wrote to Raisi.
Two of their sons, Navid and Vahid, were detained during an August 2018 protest in Shiraz. Their brother Habib was arrested three months later. They were charged with “waging war against the state, corruption on earth, and forming anti-revolutionary group” for participating in the protests, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Habib and Vahid have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms of 27 and 54 years, respectively. Navid was accused of killing a security employee of the Water and Sanitation Organisation in Shiraz and was sentenced to death.
In their letter the mother and father said their sons “have been repeatedly beaten and tortured during interrogations in order to extract confessions.”
Navid Afkari is a wrestler and athletes have rallied to his cause, helping to publicize his case.
“Navid has been singled out, tortured and condemned to death because of his participation and success in sport. The horrific act of executing an athlete can only be regarded as a repudiation of the humanitarian values that underpin sport. It must result in Iran forfeiting its right to be a part of sport’s universal community,” said Brendan Schwab, executive director of World Players Association, a union representing 85,000 athletes worldwide.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in “constant contact” with Iranian Olympic officials and the Iranian Wrestling Federation, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told the New York Times. They are “doing their utmost to facilitate a solution,” he said.
After Trump asked Iran’s leaders to spare Navid Afkari’s life, the wrestler’s confession was aired on television, including bringing him to the scene of the alleged incident.
Hassan Younesi, who represents the brothers, said on Twitter that the confessions were extracted under torture and the brothers were prevented from having their own lawyer present during the interrogation and in court.
“We are still not hopeless about the judiciary re-investigating our children’s cases and reconsidering their statements about mistreatment and how confessions were extracted from them. We hope that until their cases are concluded, their basic human rights are observed,” Hossin Afkari and Bahiyeh Namjo wrote to Raisi.
Two of their sons, Navid and Vahid, were detained during an August 2018 protest in Shiraz. Their brother Habib was arrested three months later. They were charged with “waging war against the state, corruption on earth, and forming anti-revolutionary group” for participating in the protests, according to the Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Habib and Vahid have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms of 27 and 54 years, respectively. Navid was accused of killing a security employee of the Water and Sanitation Organisation in Shiraz and was sentenced to death.
In their letter the mother and father said their sons “have been repeatedly beaten and tortured during interrogations in order to extract confessions.”
Navid Afkari is a wrestler and athletes have rallied to his cause, helping to publicize his case.
“Navid has been singled out, tortured and condemned to death because of his participation and success in sport. The horrific act of executing an athlete can only be regarded as a repudiation of the humanitarian values that underpin sport. It must result in Iran forfeiting its right to be a part of sport’s universal community,” said Brendan Schwab, executive director of World Players Association, a union representing 85,000 athletes worldwide.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in “constant contact” with Iranian Olympic officials and the Iranian Wrestling Federation, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams told the New York Times. They are “doing their utmost to facilitate a solution,” he said.
After Trump asked Iran’s leaders to spare Navid Afkari’s life, the wrestler’s confession was aired on television, including bringing him to the scene of the alleged incident.
Hassan Younesi, who represents the brothers, said on Twitter that the confessions were extracted under torture and the brothers were prevented from having their own lawyer present during the interrogation and in court.
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