Widespread global reactions to the execution of Navid Afkari continue; political, cultural, sports figures, and human rights organizations condemn the execution of the Iranian wrestler
Global reactions to the execution of Navid Afkari by the Islamic Republic regime continue, and in addition to human rights organizations, political authorities and global sports organizations have also condemned this action.
On Saturday, following the announcement of the execution of this young Iranian wrestler, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote in a message on his Twitter account, using the Persian hashtag "They killed our dream" and saying, "The execution of Navid Afkari by the Iranian regime is a vicious and cruel act ."
He added: "We condemn it in the strongest possible terms. It is a heinous attack on human dignity, even by the lowly standards of this regime."
Robert Destro, the US State Department's director for democracy and human rights, also expressed his outrage over the execution of Navid Afkari after torture and a forced televised confession, tweeting: "The Iranian regime's cruelty knows no bounds and they must be held accountable."
Kelly Craft, the US ambassador to the United Nations, also condemned the execution of Navid Afkari by the Iranian regime in a tweet using the Persian hashtag "They killed our hope."
Kelly Craft, while expressing her condolences to Navid Afkari's family, wrote: "We condemn the Iranian regime's continued and shameless disregard for human life ." She added: "The voices of the Iranian people will not be silenced."
Republican Senator Marco Rubio also condemned the execution of Navid Afkari, saying: "The execution of Navid Afkari, a wrestling champion, simply for exercising his right to freedom of expression, should remind the world that the religious regime ruling Iran is barbaric, ruthless, and evil."
White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah also tweeted her condolences to the family of Navid Afkari and the people of Iran, writing: "The world sees the Iranian regime for what it truly is: its cruelty, brutality, and backwardness. The extraordinary people of Iran deserve a better and brighter future."
Former US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called the execution of Navid Afkari cruel and shocking in a tweet, saying: "No country should arrest, torture, or execute peaceful protesters or activists. Iran must release other political prisoners, including Nasrin Sotoudeh and Americans who have been unjustly imprisoned."
Human rights defenders and organizations condemned
International human rights organizations, which had previously called for the sentence to be suspended and for Navid Afkari to receive a fair trial, condemned the execution of this sentence.
Amnesty International issued a statement saying it was shocked by the sudden, horrific and secret execution of Navid Afkari. The statement said: "This travesty of justice requires a swift global response."
Kenneth Roth, director of Human Rights Watch, also called the execution of Navid Afkari shameful, writing that before the execution, the organization had issued a statement calling the issuance of death sentences based on forced confessions under torture a systematic behavior of the Islamic Republic's authorities, and had called for a prompt and transparent investigation into the allegations of torture against Navid Afkari and his brothers and their retrial.
Minky Worden, a director at Human Rights Watch, also called the execution of Navid Afkari a shocking violation of human rights in a message on Twitter. Noting that Iran hopes to host many sporting events, including the Asian Cup, he wrote: "Let us never forget Iran's execution of an athlete."
Queen Farah Pahlavi's reaction
On Sunday, September 13, 2020, Queen Farah Pahlavi issued a statement, a copy of which was sent to Voice of America, expressing her condolences to Navid Afkari's mother and family, saying: "Navid Afkari was a hero and a hero passed away. Hero Navid Afkari, like all Iranians who fought for Iran's freedom all these years, endured the pain of imprisonment, torture, and execution and never gave up the fight. He wanted justice and freedom and died in this way."
Prince Reza Pahlavi's reaction
On Sunday, September 13, in an audio message, a copy of which was sent to Voice of America, Prince Reza Pahlavi expressed his condolences to the Afkari family, stating that Navid's dream was the end of discrimination, humiliation, oppression, and corruption, the return of Iran, and faith in a different tomorrow than today. He said: "Anyone whose heart is attached to Iran and the liberation of Iran mourns Navid Afkari."
Reaction of international sports bodies
The execution of this 27-year-old Iranian wrestler also prompted a reaction from world sports organizations.
The National Olympic Committee of Iran (NOC) issued a statement on Saturday, calling the news of the execution of Navid Afkari “sad” and saying it was shocked to hear it. The NOC also announced that Thomas Bach, the head of the committee, had previously personally requested the President and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic to pardon Navid Afkari. The statement added: “It is deeply saddening that the appeals of athletes around the world and the actions of the International Olympic Committee and the World Wrestling Federation with the National Olympic Committee of Iran and the Iranian Wrestling Federation have been unsuccessful.”
The UFC, or UFC Fight Night, also posted a photo of Navid Afkari in the middle of its matches, along with his birth and death dates in Gregorian calendar. This action sparked a backlash from many of the account's followers. In many comments, some users informed others about the athlete's execution.
Meanwhile, a video of martial arts champion Bobby Green was posted on the same account, where he said in an interview after his match that he was heartbroken after hearing before the match that "a man had died protesting." He left the interview halfway through.
Prince Ali Hussein, the president of the Jordanian Football Federation, also wrote in a message on Twitter: "It is very terrible that Navid was murdered without a transparent and fair trial." He called on institutions such as the World Football Federation - FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, and the World Wrestling Federation to deny the Islamic Republic of Iran access to international sports competitions until it respects human rights.
Reactions from other cultural and artistic activists and figures
Masih Alinejad, a journalist and host and commentator on the Voice of America Persian-language Tablet program, has published images of placards and curtains of condolences for friends of Navid Afkari that have been placed in front of their home in Shiraz. In front of one of the placards, a double-decker of his ship is also placed.
Other videos show relatives and friends of Navid Afkari lighting candles at his grave as darkness falls while listening to his recorded voice in prison.
The execution of Navid Afkari drew reactions from Iranian cultural figures around the world. Omid Jalili, a well-known British actor and comedian of Iranian descent, wrote in a message: “A reminder that the so-called Islamic Republic of Iran continues its policy of making false accusations to justify crimes and human rights violations. They treated Baha’is and minorities this way, and now they are doing the same to their sports hero. A bitter truth on Earth in the 21st century.”
Yes, Shahroz Shalikar, a writer and senior Israeli government employee, also wrote in a message on Twitter: "I feel like someone who has a brother's scar on his soul . I do not forgive the Islamic Republic for the calamity it brought upon this beautiful country. The land where my parents were born and raised. Rest in peace, brother Navid Afkari."
Golshifteh Farahani, an Iranian actress in Hollywood, also posted the hashtag Navid Afkari on her Twitter, writing: "The rope is around Iran's neck. Navid Afkari is the flesh and blood of Iran. Iranian wrestler. Iranian athlete. The good son of Iran and his mother... He is no longer alive.... Iran is no longer alive..."
Rakhshan Bani Etemad, a cinema director in Iran, also wrote on Twitter: "Unfortunate fate in September 2020 linked the National Day of Iranian Cinema with the drawing of Navid Afkari's feathers so that it would not be forgotten forever that the mission of art is to shine light on the forgotten world of history."
Ms. Bani-Etemad wrote in another protest tweet: “What are you doing to the people? Which door have you left open for the people’s voices to be heard? Do you continue to use violence to deprive people of their most basic human rights and their most obvious citizenship needs? Know that the cry buried in the throats of the people of this land will remain in history.”
Also, Ebrahim Hamedi, a well-known Iranian singer by the stage name "Abi", wrote on his Instagram account, publishing Navid Afkari's name on a black page: "When you were in the pit of foolishness, our side became a sky..."
Iranian cinema director Mohammad Rasoulof also wrote on Twitter: "Navid Afkari fell prey to your show of suppressive power, but his life rests in ours. He rests in the memory of those killed in Aban, the passengers on the Ukrainian flight, Pouya Bakhtiari, the executions in Kurdistan, the suffering of Nasrin Sotoudeh, Narges Mohammadi, and all freedom fighters. Aren't you afraid of the ocean of hatred you are creating?"
Iranian-American Hollywood actress and human rights activist Nazanin Bonadi also tweeted that today was a difficult day for many Iranians. “We all have hope for those who cried out to save Navid Afkari,” she said, adding: “To those who remain silent: How many more innocent lives must be lost before you condemn the human rights violations in Iran?”
Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian wrestler and one of those arrested during the popular protests on Saturday, September 12, was executed in Shiraz .
Navid Afkari's death sentence has sparked international protests in recent days, with a massive online campaign protesting his sentence. US President Donald Trump also tweeted that Iran should not execute the wrestler .
However, according to Hassan Younesi, Navid Afkari's lawyer, the Islamic Republic's judiciary has been "in such a hurry to execute the sentence" that, contrary to its approved regulations, it has prevented a person sentenced to death from meeting with his family before the sentence is carried out .
Navid Afkari, who was arrested following the August 2018 protests, was sentenced to two executions, six and a half years in prison, and 74 lashes . He was sentenced to six years and six months in prison on charges including inciting people to undermine national security, propaganda against the regime, insulting the leadership, and collusion with society. However, his longest sentence was for the murder of a security officer during the protests in Shiraz. He was sentenced to two executions on charges of murder and war crimes.
The wrestler's brothers, Vahid and Habib, have also been sentenced to 54 and 27 years in prison with whipping on similar charges .
A source close to the Afkari brothers says that the death sentences and long prison sentences for the three brothers were based on forced confessions after severe torture and threats.
Navid Afkari's mother also stated in a video posted on social media that her children's trial was unfair and that security agents forced them to confess against each other under torture and threats.
US reaction to the ruling; President Trump: They were protesting the worsening economic situation
On Thursday, September 4, US President Donald Trump responded to the news of the conviction of an Iranian athlete for participating in street protests in a message on Twitter, urging the Islamic Republic's authorities not to execute him .
President Trump wrote: "We hear that Iran is seeking the execution of a huge and popular wrestling star, Navid Afkari, 27, whose only action was to participate in anti-government street demonstrations. They were protesting the "worsening economic situation and inflation."
He continued in another tweet to Iranian leaders: "It would please me if you spare this young man's life and do not execute him. Thank you !"
Hours earlier, US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus tweeted: "We, like the world, are outraged by the death sentence handed down to Navid Afkari, who was tortured and forced to make a false confession after participating in peaceful protests in 2018. The Iranian regime also tortured and sentenced his two brothers to decades in prison. Release them!"
Following the publication of a video of Navid Afkari's mother, social media users protested the verdict and called for the death sentence to be overturned .
Human rights organizations say the Islamic Republic does not handle accusations fairly and that innocent people have sometimes been tried and even executed. For example, in the 1960s, the Islamic Republic executed thousands of people who had been sentenced to prison .
The United States says the Islamic Republic is spending its wealth, rather than the Iranian people, on supporting terrorist groups and destabilizing the Middle East. The United States has also repeatedly condemned the institutionalized financial corruption and looting of Iran's God-given assets by regime affiliates, calling them among the main causes of Iran's economic and financial problems.
Source: Voice of America
