The calls were ignored. Despite international mobilization, the young Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari was executed on Saturday September 12 in Shiraz prison, in the south of the country. The Iranian regime sentenced him to death for the murder of a water service official in August 2018, during protests organized across the country to denounce the economic and social situation.
According to Der Spiegel, Navid Afkari was buried Sunday evening under high security, in a village in Fars province, southern Iran. His family was not allowed to attend the funeral. The 27-year-old wrestler will never be an Olympian.
When his execution was announced, the IOC published a press release, where it mentioned a “ very sad news. » The Olympic body says “Shocked by this announcement.” She explains: “President Thomas Bach sent several direct personal appeals by letter this week to the Supreme Leader and the President of Iran to request the pardon of Navid Afkari, while respecting the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. IIt is deeply regrettable that the appeals of athletes around the world and all the work carried out behind the scenes by the IOC with the National Olympic Committee of Iran, the World Wrestling Federation (UWW) and the Iranian Wrestling Federation have not reached our objective. »
Same story at the International Wrestling Federation. “ The news is devastating and the wrestling world mourns his death, commented in a press release the body chaired by the Serb Nenad Lalovic. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Navid Afkari. »
Did the IOC wait too long to put pressure on the Iranian authorities? Did its actions and those of the International Wrestling Federation lack firmness? Many believe it in the Olympic movement. Today they are asking both organizations to take sanctions.
At the head of the procession, Global Athlete. The international union, created in particular by the British track rider Callum Skinner and the Canadian Rob Koehler, former deputy director general of the WADA, calls on the IOC and the UWW to sanction the Iranian regime without delay.
« The Iranian government took the life of an innocent human, an athlete and a wrestler, responded Global Athlete in a press release. Our thoughts are with Navid's two brothers who are still incarcerated in inhumane conditions. We call on athlete solidarity to demand that the International Olympic Committee and the World Wrestling Federation immediately implement sanctions that expel Iran from international sport for this heinous execution. The actions of the Iranian government constitute a clear violation of human rights. They cannot go unpunished. For having executed an athlete, this government no longer deserves the privilege of participating in international sports competitions. »
In the recent past, the IOC has not hesitated to exclude a country from the Olympic Games. He did it with Russia, at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games, for doping. He had done so two years earlier with Kuwait, at the Rio Games, following interference by the political regime in the affairs of the national Olympic committee. In both cases, the athletes present marched under the Olympic flag and participated in the events as neutral competitors.
An executive committee of the International Wrestling Federation is scheduled to meet online this Monday, September 14. It is supposed to announce a decision on the near-term future of the Iranian struggle. A position from the IOC is also expected.
