Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, September 12, 2020—Political prisoner Navid Afkari, a 27-year old wrestling champion in Iran, has been executed by the genocidal mullahs’ regime in the early morning hours of Saturday, September 12, according to state-run media.
This horrific crime has taken despite a global campaign calling on the regime to revoke this innocent young man’s death sentence. A number of governments, international organizations and athletes from across the globe had joined this call to save Navid’s life.
#Iran's mullahs have executed political prisoner Navid Afkari after obtaining confessions under torture and despite a global campaign calling to revoke his death sentence.#NavidAfkari https://t.co/RveaM0g2Cd pic.twitter.com/vuGHkr3hMG
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 12, 2020
“The people of Iran and its brave youth will not remain silent against the cowardly execution of this courageous son of Shiraz,” Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), tweeted following Afkari’s execution.
The mullahs’ criminal regime hanged #NavidAfkari this morning. The people of #Iran and its brave youth will not remain silent against the cowardly execution of this courageous son of #Shiraz. They will rise in solidarity with the heroic people of Fars.
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) September 12, 2020
Madam Rajavi also stressed that the regime has continuously used torture and execution to maintain its hold on power. “The religious fascism ruling Iran will not survive a day without executions, torture and domestic suppression,” she wrote, adding, “The execution of Navid Afkari will only fuel the flames of the Iranian people’s fury and will send the mullahs’ rule to the dustbin of history.”
Rajavi called on the United Nations Security Council, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union, and other relevant bodies to hold the regime to account for the execution of Navid Afkari and other political prisoners. “Silence and inaction give a green light to and are considered as complicity in these crimes,” she said.
The UNSC, its member states, the @UNHumanRights, the UN High Commissioner for #HumanRights, the EU &all int’l human rights authorities must take practical, effective measures against the regime in #Iran for the execution of #NavidAfkari & 120,000 political prisoners. pic.twitter.com/wCBlMOPSl9
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) September 12, 2020
"Will Europe continue its silence and inaction over Navid's torture and death sentence for petty economic interests?" Mohammad Mohaddessin, the chairman of NCRI's Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted.
#Iran's ppl will not leave #NavidAfkari's execution unanswered. They'll rise to overthrow the religious fascism & establish democracy.
Will Europe continue its silence/inaction over Navid's torture/death sentence for petty economic interests?
Green light to the mullahs=Complicity— Mohammad Mohaddessin (@Mohaddessin) September 12, 2020
Afkari, executed for taking part in protests back in August 2018, described the horrific physical and psychological tortures inflicted on him by the regime’s authorities.
“For around 50 days I had to endure the most horrendous physical and psychological tortures. They would beat me with sticks and batons, hitting my arms, legs, abdomen and back. They would place a plastic bag on my head and torture me until I suffocated to the very brink of death. They also poured alcohol into my nose,” the letter reads.
Navid Afkari’s letter describing the horrific physical and psychological torture he went through and authorities demanding he confess to crimes he had not commit—September 13, 2019 (page 1)
Navid Afkari’s letter describing the horrific physical and psychological torture he went through and authorities demanding he confess to crimes he had not commit—September 13, 2019 (page 2)
U.S. President Donald Trump had called on the mullahs’ regime to refrain executing Navid.
Hearing that Iran is looking to execute a great and popular wrestling star, 27-year-old Navid Afkarai, whose sole act was an anti-government demonstration on the streets. They were protesting the “country’s worsening economic situation and inflation”…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020
The U.S. State Department posted two tweets condemning the death sentence issued for this young Iranian athlete by the so-called judiciary of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
(۱/۲) نوید افکاری جوانی است که برای عزتی که رژیم @khamenei_ir مدتهاست مردم ایران را از آن محروم کرده است، مبارزه میکرد. اراذل و اوباش خامنهای نوید را تا حدی شکنجه کردند تا او به جرایم جعلی اعتراف کند. pic.twitter.com/VjAzB1P4Iq
— USA darFarsi (@USAdarFarsi) August 29, 2020
“Navid Afkari is a young man that is struggling for the pride that Khamenei’s regime has long deprived the Iranian people of. Khamenei’s thugs have tortured Navid to such an extent in order to obtain coerced confessions from him. Not satisfied with their effort in destroying Navid’s dignity, now they have sentenced him to death,” the tweet reads in Persian.
Bahie Namju, the mother of Navid Afkari, described the two death sentences issued for her son as unjust and called for help from people across the globe to save her son’s life. The mullahs have sentenced her sons to death, long prison terms and lashing for merely protesting for a better life.
“Authorities raided our house at 5 am without a warrant and arrested two of my sons, Vahid and Navid, in August 2018. Later they arrested my husband and son-in-law. Three months later they arrested Habib,” she said in a video circulating online. “Habid had just married three months before. They physically and psychologically tortured Vahid to such an extent that he attempted suicide three times. God saved him and returned him to us. Later we learned that Vahid was tortured to so he would confess against his brother, Navid. They held an unjust court hearing full of lies. My sons were not able to defend themselves at all. They raised many allegations against them. They held just one court hearing without any evidence and issued a ruling. I can’t even mention Navid’s ruling [execution] and 25 years in prison for Vahid. I’m asking for help from people across the globe, everyone in Iran, anyone can hear my voice so that my sons can be proven innocent in a fair court. I’m desperately asking for help from anyone who can hear my voice for the unjust ruling against my sons,” she said before breaking into tears.
You can help stop the ongoing arrests/torture/executions of #IranProtesters & #PoliticalPrisoners in #Iran!
Msg your govts & add your voice to stop #CrimesAgainstHumanity and end impunity of regimes that kill & repress #humanrights of their citizens! pic.twitter.com/8ChXorGSxB
— Women's Committee NCRI (@womenncri) August 30, 2020
Faulty due process, use of torture
Navid, a respected wrestler with no criminal record, and his two brothers had participated in the 2018 protests. As a result, “the judiciary deemed the participation of all three brothers as the organization of a group,” according to a source who talked to the Human Rights News Agency and asked not to be named for security reasons.
The source said authorities had charged the three brothers of major roles in protests that erupted in the cities of Kazerun and Shiraz in August 2018.
August 5 – Kazerun, #Iran
More still images of protests in this southern city.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/ZgmvgIR3ri— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 5, 2018
Regime resorts to political executions to prevent future protests
The Iranian regime executes political prisoners and protesters to intimidate would be protesters and prevent future protests.
On August 5, the Iranian regime hanged a political prisoner in central Iran. Mostafa Salehi was detained during protests in Isfahan two years ago.
Three other protesters in Tehran and five protesters in Isfahan have also been sentenced to death.
