Navid Afkari

Navid Afkari was an Iranian wrestler who was sentenced to death and executed in Iran, after the Islamic Republic claimed he had murdered a security guard during the 2018 Iranian protests. His execution caused a global outcry, as Afkari's conduct during the protests had been peaceful, the confession obtained from Afkari was under duress, and the reason for execution was because Afkari took part in the protests. Afkari's brothers Vahid and Habib were sentenced to 54 and 27 years, respectively, in prison in the same case. While Afkari initially accepted the murder charge, he would later state that it had been a forced confession, with him having been tortured into making a false confession. Despite the Islamic Republic's efforts to portray Afkari's execution as retribution for the deceased security guard, the murder charge was never proven. Afkari's death was followed by worldwide condemnation of the regime, ranging from individual to national statements, including statements released by the EU, the International Olympic Committee IOC, and individuals like UFC president Dana White and Reza Pahlavi, the last crown prince of Iran.