London: A global union representing 85,000 athletes has called for Iran’s expulsion from world sport if it executes champion wrestler Navid Afkari whose case has stirred outcry.
The 27-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler faces two death sentences after being convicted of stabbing a water security guard to death and other charges relating to anti-government protests in 2018, according to state media.
“The horrific act of executing an athlete can only be regarded as a repudiation of the humanitarian values that underpin sport,” said World Players Association (WPA) director Brendan Schwab in a statement.
“It must result in Iran forfeiting its right to be a part of sport’s universal community.”
Afkari has said he was tortured into making a false confession, according to his family and activists, and his lawyer says there is no proof of his guilt.
Iran’s judiciary has denied the torture claims.
“Based on clear evidence, Afkari stabbed to death an innocent man. He has confessed at the court. The court issued the death sentence based on strong evidence and the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence,” the judiciary said in a statement carried by Iranian media last week.
Rights groups and foreign officials including US President Donald Trump have urged a reprieve while social media has seen a campaign for him under the hashtag #SaveNavidAfkari.
Read the article by Parisa Hafezi in WAToday (Reuters).