Iran Executes 19-Year-Old Wrestler, 2 Others In First Public Hangings Linked To January Protests

Last Updated:March 20, 2026, 02:44 IST

Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi and two others were hanged in public after they were accused of killing two police officers "with knives and swords" during the January protests.

Iran executed a 19-year-old champion wrestler in a public hanging on Thursday, along with two other people who were arrested during widespread anti-regime protests in January that triggered a harsh crackdown by authorities.

According to Iranian state media, wrestler Saleh Mohammadi and two others were hanged on Thursday after what it described as the completion of legal procedures that included the presence of defence lawyers and approval by Iran’s Supreme Court. The executions were carried out in the city of Qom “in the presence of a group of people."

The arrest and conviction of Saleh Mohammadi, a rising wrestler from Qom, had triggered criticism in the United States. The US had called on Tehran in January to “halt the execution of Saleh Mohammadi and all individuals who have been sentenced to death for seeking to attain their fundamental rights."

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Human rights groups reportedly accused the Iranian regime of torturing Mohammadi to confess to waging war against God and alleged that he was executed without a fair trial. “His execution was a blatant political murder, part of the Islamic Republic’s pattern of targeting athletes to crush dissent and terrorise society," Iranian human rights activist Nima Far told Fox News.

Mohammadi, along with fellow protesters Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, were accused of killing two police officers “with knives and swords" during the January protests, according to Iranian state media. The protesters were found guilty and executed by Tehran despite appeals from the US.

Amnesty International slammed the executions, alleging that the men were denied “adequate defence and forced to make confessions." Far called on the International Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling organisations to take action against Iran over its brutality against athletes.

Nationwide anti-government protests erupted across Iran in early January 2026, fueled by economic turmoil, a collapsing currency and broader anger at clerical rule, posing the most significant challenge to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule before the US-Israeli war. Iranian authorities responded with a brutal crackdown that killed thousands of Iranians.

The killings prompted warnings from US President Donald Trump, who warned Iran against executions and told the protesters that “help is on its way."

News world Iran Executes 19-Year-Old Wrestler, 2 Others In First Public Hangings Linked To January Protests

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