Trump to Iranian leaders: Do not execute Navid Afkari

The US President continued his tweet: "They were protesting the worsening economic situation in the country and inflation. To the leaders of Iran, I would greatly appreciate it if you would spare this young man's life and not execute him. Thank you!"

US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus has also called for the release of the Afkari brothers. "We join the world in outrage at the Iranian regime's death sentence for Navid Afkari, who was tortured into making a false confession after participating in peaceful protests in 2018. The regime also tortured and sentenced his two brothers to decades in prison. Free them!" Ortagus wrote in a tweet.

The message from Donald Trump and Morgan Ortagus was sent a few days after the release of a video message from Bahia Namjoo, the mother of Navid, Vahid, and Habib Afkari, three of those convicted of the August 2018 protests.

The mother of the Afkari brothers has recounted how her son Vahid was subjected to so much “physical and mental torture” that he attempted suicide three times. According to the mother, her son Vahid was severely tortured to make him confess against his brother Navid.

The Afkari brothers' mother has called for a "fair" trial to be held to hear her sons' case in a video message. She emphasizes: "Now I ask for help from the people of the world, Iran, and everyone who can hear me for the unjust verdict they gave my sons."

After the Afkari brothers' mother's message was shared on social media, many human rights organizations and Iranian users called for the release of the Shirazi mother's three children. Both Persian- and English-language cyberspace was filled with the hashtags "Don't execute our promise" and "savenavidafkari."

Two courts in Shiraz have sentenced Navid, Vahid, and Habib Afkari to death, imprisonment, and flogging in separate trials for their participation in the August 2018 protests. According to HRANA, the court sentenced Vahid Afkari to 54 years and six months in prison and his brother Habib to 27 years and three months in prison. The three brothers were also sentenced to 74 lashes each.

It has been claimed in the Shiraz court that Navid Afkari confessed during interrogations to the murder of a Basij colleague from the Kazerun Water and Wastewater Company who was present in Shiraz on a mission.

Navid Afkari has denied the court's claim, saying that his confession was obtained under torture, and that he wrote letters to various authorities and complained when he was freed from torture. Navid said that according to the forensic doctor and a witness, it has been proven that he was tortured and that his confession was obtained under torture, and that there is no evidence or proof that he is guilty.

Navid refers to this issue in a voice message, saying: "They didn't want to hear my voice, we realized they were looking for a neck for their rope."

Hassan Younesi, the lawyer for the Afkari brothers, Navid and Vahid, also said in an interview with the "Imtadad" news network that his client's confession was obtained through torture, that there is no footage of the moment the crime was committed, and that the alleged video presented in court was from an hour before the murder.

Many world wrestling stars also called for the death sentence of Navid Afkari to be overturned and called on Iranian leaders to release the wrestler.

Iranian authorities have not responded to international requests.

The events of August 2018, like the protests of January 2017, were the largest protest movements in the Islamic Republic before the events of November 2019. The exact number of victims, injured, and detainees from these protests has not yet been determined, and the government's statistics on them differ greatly from the estimates of human rights organizations.