Navid Afkari Case - Death Sentence for Champion Wrestler

Wrestling Athlete Navid Afkari to be Executed on 9 September 2020 or a Peaceful Public Protest Against the Iranian Regime

8 September 2020: Global Athlete demands that the head of Iranian Judiciary and the Iranian Supreme Leader immediately halt plans for the execution of wrestling athlete Navid Afkari scheduled for Wednesday 9 September 2020.

Additionally, we call on fellow athletes, athlete groups, and sporting leaders to use their leverage, influence, and voice to stop this atrocity.

Iran is using Afkari's popularity to set an example against protesting the Iranian government. This attempt to penalize an athlete for using their voice must be stopped.  

Sport leaders must enforce the highest sanction possible on the Iran sporting federations to deter the Iranian government’s infringement of basic human rights.

We call for human rights to be embedded into the rules of the Olympic and Paralympic movement. This will give sport governing bodies a framework to stand up for and care for their athletes.

Athletes and members of the sports governance community can lend their voice to the Change.org Petition Save Navid’s Life and use the hashtag #savenavidafkari on social media.

A detailed overview of Navid Afkari’s case can be found here:  https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2020/09/death-sentence-for-champion-wrestler-based-on-false-evidence-torture-and-forced-false-confessions/