Saleh Mohammadi
Personal information
Born (2007-03-11)11 March 2007
Saveh, Iran
Died 19 March 2026(2026-03-19) (aged 19)
Qom, Iran
Cause of death Execution by hanging
Professional wrestling career
Billed height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Billed weight 88 kg (194 lb)

Saleh Mohammadi (11 March 2007 – 19 March 2026)[1] was an Iranian wrestler and member of the country's national wrestling team.[2][3][4][5][6]

Life and career

Mohammadi was born in Saveh, and grew up in Qom. He began training in freestyle wrestling, before transitioning to Greco-Roman.[1] In September 2024 he represented Iran at the Saitiev Cup in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, where he won a bronze medal.[5]

Arrest and execution

Mohammadi was arrested on 15 January 2026, on charges of killing a Special Units police officer in Qom on 8 January, during the 2025–2026 Iranian protests. Mohammadi maintained he was at his uncle's house at the time of the murder, which was apparently corroborated by eyewitnesses and CCTV footage.[1] He was 18 years old at the time of his arrest.[2]

After a three-week trial Mohammadi was sentenced to death by Criminal Court One in Qom for the murder on 4 March.[7][8][9] On 19 March, he was publicly executed by hanging,[10] eight days after his nineteenth birthday.[8]

Amnesty International strongly condemned the death sentence and deemed the trial against Mohammadi to be “grossly unfair”, calling it a grave violation of the right to life and a use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression.[11] Mohammadi's execution was condemned in a 19 March 2026 editorial published by The Wall Street Journal's editorial board.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Younesipour, Payam (27 February 2026). "Saleh Mohammadi: Will the Tragedies of Navid Afkari and Mohammad Mehdi Karami Repeat?". IranWire. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Iran: Children among 30 people at risk of the death penalty amid expedited grossly unfair trials connected to uprising". Amnesty International. 20 February 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Opinion: The Enemy in Iran in One Lesson". The Wall Street Journal. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Iran hangs three men in first executions over January protests". France 24. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b Abedi, Hooman (19 March 2026). "Wrestler's execution raises fears for detained athletes in Iran". Iran International. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  6. ^ Torbati, Yeganeh (20 March 2026). "Iran Executes 3 Men, Including Teenage Wrestler Saleh Mohammadi". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Iran hangs 3 people, including teen wrestler, in first executions over January protests". CBS News. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Iran: Teenager among first to be executed over anti-government protests". www.bbc.com. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  9. ^ Motamedi, Maziar. "Iran, US spar as diaspora organises rallies abroad calling for action". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  10. ^ "Three Protesters Publicly Hanged in Iran; Dozens More At Imminent Risk of Execution". Center for Human Rights in Iran. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Iran: Children among 30 people at risk of the death penalty]] amid expedited grossly unfair trials connected to uprising". Amnesty International. 20 February 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.