Iran has, in sheer defiance, hanged the 19-year-old champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi in full public view. It is a slap in the face not only to the United States, but to all who care about basic decency and respect for a young life. Mohammadi’s offence was that he took part in the demonstrations in January. By executing him, the regime has shown that it does not care what the outside world thinks.
At the same time, they wave farewell to a place in the international community. There is no way back. The regime is burning all bridges.
The news of the execution was met with shock and disbelief across the world.
According to reports, Mohammadi was executed by public hanging, which Iranian-American human rights activists and dissidents regard as a barbaric act on the part of the Iranian regime to suppress the ongoing movement seeking to overthrow it.
Nima Far, a human rights activist and Iranian martial artist who is an expert on elite Iranian wrestling, told Fox News Digital: “His execution was a clear political killing, part of the Islamic Republic’s pattern of targeting athletes to crush opposition and terrorise society, as we have seen with Navid Afkari and others who were executed despite international protest.”
He said: “The IOC [International Olympic Committee] and UWW [United World Wrestling] should have intervened forcefully with public ultimatums, threatening immediate suspension of Iran’s NOC [National Olympic Committee] and federations if the execution were carried out, rather than relying on ineffective, quiet diplomacy, given their own obligations to protect athletes from politically motivated harm.” Both organisations issued statements after being asked for comment by Fox News Digital following Mohammadi’s death sentence.
Far urged wrestling authorities to take action and stated: “Iran must be excluded from international competitions until it halts the executions of demonstrators and athletes, releases those imprisoned following sham trials, and ceases reprisals against competitors who speak out or defect.”
Fox News Digital sent further press inquiries to the IOC and UWW.
Mohammadi was hanged for an offence against Allah—referred to as moharebeh. It is a catch-all term used for those whom the regime labels as opponents.
Today, in Iran, in the middle of a war, the regime executed a 19-year-old national wrestling champion for the crime of joining January protests. 💔
After signaling to the world, including President @realDonaldTrump, that they would halt executions of protesters, the regime has… pic.twitter.com/GzaoiI71JJ
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 19, 2026
Reactions to his death poured in from Iranian commentators.
Alizreza Nader, an expert on Iran and the human rights situation in the country, told Fox News Digital: “I feel very sorry for him and his family. A boycott of the regime in international sport should be introduced. I am concerned for the individual athletes who would be affected, as athletes in Iran live under very harsh conditions, and some are reportedly almost hostages of the regime. But there must be a high cost for the regime for executing young people in this manner. There must be a deterrent effect.”
The Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad wrote on X: “Today, in the midst of a war, the regime in Iran executed a 19-year-old national wrestling champion for participating in the January demonstrations. After signalling to the outside world, including President @realDonaldTrump, that they would halt the executions of demonstrators, the regime has done the exact opposite.”
Three young athletes were brought before a court in the “holy” city of Qom. Without legal counsel. The verdicts are summary.
Even in the midst of war, the Islamic Republic does not abandon its longstanding practice of using the death penalty to instil fear among the population. Today, three young men who were detained during the January protests were executed.
Anyone presenting themselves as part of… pic.twitter.com/YxJFac86uD— Shadi Sadr (@shadisadr) March 19, 2026
This is the brutality the regime has always stood for, Iranians say. It is only now that the world has opened its eyes to it.