Iran Executes Three Over Protests, Including Teenage Wrestler on National Team

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 19 March 2026: State media reported the executions of protesters Saleh Mohammadi, Saeed Davodi and Mehdi Ghasemi who were accused of participating in the murders of two policemen during protests in Qom on 8 January 2026. The executions were carried out “in the presence of a group of people in Qom.” The three protesters are the first to be hanged in relation to the December 2025/January 2026 nationwide protests.

Condemning the executions in the strongest terms, IHRNGO warns about the danger of the mass execution of protesters and political prisoners in the coming weeks.

IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “The protesters executed today were sentenced to death following grossly unfair trials, based on confessions extracted under torture and coercion. We consider these executions to constitute extrajudicial killings, carried out with the intent of creating terror to suppress political dissent. The Islamic Republic is fighting for its survival and knows that the greatest threat to its existence comes from the Iranian people who demand fundamental change.” He added: “We are facing a very real and imminent risk of mass executions of protesters. The international community must act with urgency. The European Union, in particular, has an important role to play and should use all available diplomatic tools to help prevent further executions and protect the lives of those at risk.”

According to the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency, three protesters named Saleh Mohammadi, Saeed Davodi and Mehdi Ghasemi were hanged “in the presence of a group of people in Qom” on 19 March 2026. 

Saleh Mohammadi, who turned 19 on 11 March, and Saeed Davodi, who would have turned 22 on 21st March, were co-defendants and accused of participating in the killing of a policeman in Qom on 8 January 2026. In the murder case heard before the First Branch of the Qom Criminal Court, Saleh was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) and Saeed received a non-capital sentence on 3 February. The qisas sentence issued against Saleh was ordered to be carried out at the scene of the alleged crime.

According to the state report, they were also sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh (enmity against god) through the use of a bladed weapon during illegal gatherings and unrest, resulting in the killing of a member of the law enforcement forces, identified as Mohammad Ghasemi Homapour, carrying out operational activities for the Israeli government and the hostile government of the United States of America, and their affiliated agents and inciting people to engage in conflict and violence with the intent of disrupting the security of the country.”

Per informed IHRNGO sources, Saleh who was arrested on 15 January, was forced to make self-incriminating confessions in the investigation phase which he later retracted in court. Despite testifying that he had made the confessions under torture and coercion, the court rejected his claim, relying on the confessions made at the reconstruction of the crime scene and “eyewitness accounts” as evidence of his conviction.

This incident is just a glimpse of the regime’s brutality. They kill their own people and now publicly execute teenage athletes. Iranian sports no longer belong to athletes; they are controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, who oppress women, threaten athletes abroad, and intimidate families.

Mehdi Ghasemi was also sentenced to both moharebeh and qisas for participation in the murder of another policeman at a different location in Qom on 8 January 2026. No further information is available about his case.

RELATED | Iran hangs three men in first executions over January protests

According to the reports and footage published by state media today, the three protesters were all convicted based on confessions, no other evidence is presented of their guilt. As the report stipulates that estizan was granted, it appears that Saleh and Mehdi were executed for murder charges and Saeed, for the charge of moharebeh. While they were linked to Israel, the US and opposition groups by the authorities, there is no evidence of any connection between the protesters and any foreign governments.

Hundreds of others are currently facing death penalty charges and sentences in relation to the December 2025/January 2026 nationwide protests. Prior to the internet shutdown enforced with the start of the war on 28 February, IHRNGO had verified the death sentences issued against 27 protesters including Saleh Mohammadi. Unconfirmed reports indicate a significantly higher number of protesters facing the death penalty, which is currently difficult to verify due the communication shutdown. 

On 4 February, IHRNGO issued a statement warning of the urgent risk of mass death sentences, executions and extrajudicial killings based on the Islamic Republic’s systematic and widespread use of lethal force with the clear intention of killing after the nationwide internet shutdown, together with its long-established practice of issuing death sentences based on confessions obtained under torture, its total disregard for due process and its history of hasty and secret executions.

Saleh Mohammadi, a member of Iran’s national wrestling team

Mohammadi was a member of Iran’s national wrestling team. He won a bronze medal at the 2024 Saitiev Cup in Russia as part of the Iranian delegation but died at the age of 19. He had turned 19 just a week before his execution.

News of Mohammadi’s execution has shocked the world. Human rights groups claim the three executed individuals were tortured into confessing and faced no fair trial.

‘Amnesty International’ noted that Mohammadi was denied ‘sufficient legal representation’ and was convicted through an expedited process that could not be considered a proper trial.

The Iranian regime’s actions are utterly disgusting.

The sports community has also mourned and protested. U.S. ‘Fox Sports’ reported, “Olympic athletes have condemned the public execution of Iran’s champion wrestler. Mohammadi was only 19 years old,” highlighting reactions from several Olympians.

Bobsledder Kelsey Humphries stated, “The Iranian regime’s actions are utterly disgusting. Killing a teenager for merely raising their voice is unacceptable, especially when the victim was a national representative.” She added, “This is a deeply sad day for sports.”

Iranian wrestler Sardar Pashaei fiercely criticized, “This incident is just a glimpse of the regime’s brutality. They kill their own people and now publicly execute teenage athletes. Iranian sports no longer belong to athletes; they are controlled by the Revolutionary Guard, who oppress women, threaten athletes abroad, and intimidate families.”

He urged global action, saying, “There are still people in danger, and there is time to save them. The world must act now. Saleh’s only ‘crime’ was protesting. He took to the streets for freedom.”

Sources: Iran Human Rights, Staff; The Chosen, Staff, March 19, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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