Navid Afkari: Iranian wrestler given two death sentences says he was tortured and made to confess fake crimes
An Iranian wrestling champion, Navid Afkari, who has been given two death sentences for engaging in peaceful protests against the regime, has revealed that he was tortured and forced to make the confession. The 27-year-old, in an audio statement from prison, also added that he had later retracted his confession. The Supreme Court of Iran confirmed that Afkari has been given two death sentences, six years of prison, and 74 lashes for participating in protests in Iran in 2018.
Not just Afkari, his two brothers Vahid and Habib, have also been given prison sentences. Vahid received a prison sentence of 54 years and 74 lashes, while Habib was given 27 years and 74 lashes. The three brothers were reportedly charged by Iran's judiciary with 20 different crimes, including "attending illegal gatherings, assembly and conspiracy to commit crimes against national security, and insulting the supreme leader."
According to a source close to Afkari, who has no criminal record, and his brothers said that since the brothers joined the protests "the judiciary deemed the participation of all three brothers as the organization of a group."
In an audio message from prison, Navid Afkari said that he was tortured & was forced to make confessions which he later retracted. The 27 yo wrestling champion was sentenced to 2 death sentences, 6 years of prison, &74 lashes for participating in #Iranprotests.#نوید_افکاری pic.twitter.com/PGCOBADJ1P
— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) September 1, 2020
Backing Afkari's claims of alleged torture, the US government had also made similar claims, alleging that "Khamenei's thugs tortured Navid to the point that he confessed to fake crimes. Those who were not satisfied with trampling on Navid's human dignity have now sentenced him to death," a statement said, according to Persian-language broadcaster Iran International.
Witnesses in the Iranian top court also relayed their testimony, describing the beatings and torture. However, judges ignored it, the outlet reports. The brothers' mother, Bahieh Namjou, said that her sons were arrested without a warrant by officers in plain clothes, according to an Iranian opposition group.
Reports of Afkari and his brothers' sentencing has now gone viral, with celebrities pleading with the Iranian government to lif the death sentences. British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi recently said, as quoted by the Daily Mail: "Champion wrestler Navid Afkari has been sentenced to death for participating in anti-government protests in Iran. Those close to him have said he was subjected to a forced confession under torture. Stop executions in Iran."
Condemning the regime's actions, the editor of Iran International, Sadeq Saba, said: "The Islamic Republic has witnessed many protest movements over the years, most recently in mid-November over petrol price rises. Security forces brutally killed hundreds of people and detained thousands more. These movements have become more radical, more frequent and have spread across Iran. In response to internal and external pressures, the regime has adopted a bunker mentality, evolving into an authoritarian-theocratic centralized state presided over by an all-powerful supreme leader with no respect for constitutionalism."
Iran is the world's second-most prolific user of the death penalty after China, according to Amnesty International. The country, in 2019, reportedly carried out at least 251 executions. The non-governmental organization said that some people in the country were executed in public while several others executed were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the alleged crimes. The human rights organization also alleged that there were "systematic violations of fair trial rights" in Iran.