In the first set of executions related to the January 6 protests, Iran has hanged Saleh Mohammadi, a champion wrestler who had just turned 19. His execution has sparked outrage and fear among other detained athletes and protestors in the country. Rights groups and sports communities have claimed that he was denied a fair trial and forced to confess under torture.
Saleh Mohammadi was a teenage wrestling champion from Iran, seen as one of the country’s bright young talents. He had competed internationally, representing Iran at tournaments including the 2024 Saitiev Cup in Russia, where he won a bronze medal. Reports say he had also qualified for the country’s national team in 2023 and won several tournaments in Russia and Iran.
On Thursday, Iranian authorities hanged three men in the city of Qom, including Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported that they were convicted of “waging war against God” (moharebeh) and accused of involvement in the killing of two police officers during the January protests.
View this post on Instagram
They were further accused of carrying out “operational actions” for Israel and the United States. Iran Human Rights said the executions took place “in the presence of a group of people in Qom.”
Iranian authorities have portrayed all three executed as violent agents working with foreign enemies. However, rights groups, legal monitors, and people close to the case give a very different picture. According to them, the trial was fundamentally unfair.
Amnesty International said Mohammadi was denied necessary defense and was “forced” to confess in fast-track proceedings that did not meet standard trial procedures. Moreover, all three accused reportedly cracked under torture and confessed, after which they were sentenced to death in an unfair trial.
An Iranian legal group, Dadban, described the executions as akin to “extrajudicial killing,” highlighting that none of the three received the legal counsel they needed and therefore could not defend themselves. People close to Mohammadi told Iran International that CCTV evidence did not identify him, and he was not allowed to have alibi witnesses testify on his behalf.
Israel reportedly just eliminated Mohammad Khosravani — the judge who signed the death sentence of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari, whose 2020 execution shook the world and became a symbol of the regime’s cruelty toward its own people.
Tonight, Israel’s message to the Iranian…
— Lisa Daftari (@LisaDaftari) March 19, 2026
The public executions have drawn swift international outrage. With the ongoing tensions between Iran and the U.S., House spokesperson Olivia Wales called Iran “the Iranian terrorist regime.” Wales added, “President Trump will never allow these murderous, evil terrorists to obtain a nuclear weapon to threaten the American people, and this horrific tragedy is a stark reminder why Operation Epic Fury is righteous, and necessary.”
Following the executions, Iran Human Rights warned that protesters and political prisoners now face a “risk of mass executions.” The organization also emphasized that these public hangings are intended to raise fear, as “the main threat to [the regime’s] survival comes from the Iranian people demanding fundamental change.”
The country has shown a disturbing pattern of executing athletes over protests. Mohammadi’s case has drawn comparisons to wrestler Navid Afkari, who was executed after the 2018 protests. Afkari became a symbol of Iran’s use of capital punishment against dissenters, and there is a growing list of athletes, coaches, and referees who remain in custody over past and recent protests.
