‘MASSACRING YOUTH’: Iran Hangs 19-Year-Old Wrestling Champion After Protest Arrest

In a move that has ignited international outrage and drawn comparisons to the regime’s darkest periods of repression, Iranian authorities on Thursday executed 19-year-old national wrestling champion, Saleh Mohammadi.

Mohammadi was hanged at dawn at Qom Central Prison alongside two other young men, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi. All three had been detained following their alleged involvement in nationwide protests that swept Iran in late 2025 and early 2026.

The executions were carried out despite high-level international pleas for clemency, including a formal statement from the United States accusing the Islamic Republic of “massacring youth.”

ایالات متحده از گزارش‌هایی درباره صالح محمدی، قهرمان ۱۹ ساله کشتی، که با اعدام قریب‌الوقوع روبه‌رو است، عمیقاً نگران است. رژیم جمهوری اسلامی ایران، جوانان را قتل‌عام و آینده ایران را ویران می‌کند.

ما از رژیم ایران می‌خواهیم اجرای حکم اعدام صالح محمدی و تمامی افرادی را که برای… pic.twitter.com/lL324xWQWZ

— USAbehFarsi (@USABehFarsi) January 29, 2026

The three men were convicted of moharebeh — or “waging war against God” — and the alleged killing of two Law Enforcement Command (Faraja) officers during a protest in Qom on January 8, 2026.

Human rights organizations, including the HENGAW Organization for Human Rights and Iran Human Rights, have denounced the proceedings as “sham trials.” According to reports, Mohammadi’s conviction relied almost entirely on confessions allegedly obtained through severe physical and psychological torture. Although the young athlete retracted these statements in court, testifying that they were coerced, the judiciary rejected his claims. Monitors said the court disregarded potentially exculpatory evidence, including witness testimony from family members and CCTV footage that they say failed to place Mohammadi at the scene.

“The regime has done the exact opposite of what it signaled to the world,” said famed dissident Masih Alinejad, referring to earlier indications that executions of protest-related detainees might be halted. “This is not just about sports; this is about human dignity.”

Today, in Iran, in the middle of a war, the regime executed a 19-year-old national wrestling champion for the crime of joining January protests. ????

After signaling to the world, including President @realDonaldTrump, that they would halt executions of protesters, the regime has… pic.twitter.com/GzaoiI71JJ

— Masih Alinejad ????️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 19, 2026

His name is Saleh Mohammadi, 19 years old wrestler. He was hanged today in Iran for the crime of protesting in last January and demanding???? pic.twitter.com/djUPnSI2zg

— Masih Alinejad ????️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 19, 2026

Mohammadi had been considered a rising star in Iran’s storied wrestling tradition, having recently won a medal at an international freestyle competition in Russia. His execution has drawn comparisons to that of wrestler Navid Afkari, whose 2020 execution prompted widespread global backlash.

Advocacy groups, including Global Athlete, have called for coordinated international action, warning that Iranian athletes and protesters remain at risk.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, said the executions appear intended to “terrorize society” amid mounting political and military pressures.

Human rights groups warn that hundreds of other detainees accused of taking part in the recent protests could face similar outcomes.