Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, August 31, 2020—Navid Afkari, a 27-year old wrestling champion in Iran who has been sentenced to death 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)
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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)
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.
“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.
(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
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
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), condemned these heinous measures as the regime’s desperate initiative to prevent future protests.
The mullahs’ religious fascist regime handed down outrageous flogging, prison and death sentences for three brothers for took part in the protests in Kazerun and Shiraz. #StopExecutionsInIran
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 28, 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.