The killing of 19-year-old Iranian wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi at the hands of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard provides further “recognition” of a brutal regime, according to a long outspoken Iranian activist and ex-national coach.
Mohammadi was one of three men executed on Thursday for allegedly killing police officers during protests in January. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard presented charges of “enmity against God” and “operational collaboration with Israel” connected to those purported crimes that human rights groups and activists have called fictional.
Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi were hanged in Qom, a city south of Tehran, after being convicted of the capital crime of waging war against God—known as “moharebeh” under Iran's sharia, according to the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency.
Sardar Pashaei, a Kurdish human rights activist and former world wrestling champion and national coach, told Military.com that “my first reaction was heartbreak, but also something deeper: recognition.”
For those of us who left Iran, one of our daily fears is waking up, checking our phones, and seeing that someone has been executed. That fear became reality again. This is exactly what I’ve been warning about for years.
“The Iranian regime does not just repress people—it survives through fear, executions and public intimidation. Even in the middle of war and global crisis, they still found time to hang three young men. That tells you everything: this regime’s priority is not the country, not its people—it is control," he added.
Pashaei said he and other advocates and groups “did everything we could” to save the three executed, including raising awareness, speaking to the media, and making concerns internationally known.
While acknowledging that sometimes that pressure does save lives, he added that democratic countries’ levers—like increasing economic pressure, suspending agreements or expelling regional diplomats—can add that needed boost to negotiate.
'Very Personal For Me'
Human rights groups like the Hana Human Rights Organization cited “informed sources [that] have emphasized that the judicial process was marked by serious ambiguities,” including confessions from the three defendants that “were extracted under pressure during interrogations.”
Pashaei, who coached Iran’s national wrestling team, is currently executive director of Hiwa, a U.S.-based organization advocating for a secular and democratic system that ensures equality, dignity and justice for Kurds and all nations in Iran.
This one is very personal for me. I was 19 when I became a world champion. At that age, your life is just beginning. You dream about the Olympics, about representing your country. Saleh was that age.
“He was not just a prisoner; he was an athlete—someone who had discipline, dreams, and a future ahead of him. And the regime took all of that away. Instead of supporting its athletes, this system destroys them," he added.
It was something that Pashaei empathizes with considering that he, too, as he describes was banned, pushed out, and forced to leave his country.
“So, when I saw his execution, I didn’t just see a victim,” he added. “I saw a version of myself—someone who could have had a completely different life. That’s what makes it so painful.”
Executions During Wartime
The executions occurred less than one month after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, was killed by a joint United States-Israel strike in Tehran. It started the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has led to deaths, regional instability, and broader economic impacts due to rising oil prices stemming from inactivity through the Strait of Hormuz.
In January in an X post, the U.S. State Department in Farsi called on the Islamic Republican of Iran not to kill Mohammadi and others: "The United States is deeply concerned by reports that 19-year-old wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi is facing imminent execution. The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran is massacring young people and destroying Iran’s future. We call on the Iranian regime to halt the execution of Saleh Mohammadi and all those sentenced to death for exercising their fundamental rights. #SalehMohammadi #StopExecutionsInIran #HumanRights #IranProtest."
Since those joint Feb. 28 strikes by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, the fighting continues with no definitive signal of either the United States or Israel lessening their attacks or vacating their regional presence. Just Friday, the U.S. announced it was sending 2,500 Marine in the direction of Iran.
Pashaei said that the execution of the three Iranians is indicative of the “system” that has been implemented by Iranian leaders, and that it should be seen as part of the same lens of the ongoing military campaign.
“When the regime feels pressure from outside—whether from sanctions, military tension, or international isolation—it increases pressure inside,” he said. Executions become a tool. A message. They want to show strength, control, and send fear into society so people don’t rise up at a moment when the system feels vulnerable.
“So, while the world focuses on nuclear issues or regional conflict, inside Iran the real war is between the regime and its own people. And ordinary Iranians are the ones paying the price.”
