Iran: Wrestling Champion Navid Afkari Sentenced to Death Reveals Torture in Prison

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Staff Writer
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protester sentenced to death
In a letter from prison, wrestling champion Navid Afkari wrote that he was forced to endure significant torture for around 50 days

protester sentenced to death

A 27-year-old Iranian protester, sentenced to death twice for participating in the August 2018 uprising, has described the physical and psychological tortures he has been subjected to in prison by authorities.

In a letter from prison, wrestling champion Navid Afkari wrote that he was forced to endure significant torture for around 50 days, including multiple beatings with stick and batons, being near suffocated with a plastic bag tied around his head, and having alcohol poured into his nose.

The US State Department condemned Afkari’s death sentence.

They tweeted: “Navid Afkari is a young man that is struggling for the pride that [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei’s regime has long deprived the Iranian people of. Khamenei’s thugs have tortured Navid to such an extent in order to obtain coerced confessions from him. Not satisfied with their effort in destroying Navid’s dignity, now they have sentenced him to death.”

Akari’s mother, Bahie Namju, said that the sentence issued against her son was “unjust” and called for help from the international community to have the sentence commuted; saying that her son was being targeted for demanding a better life. Three of her sons have been arrested; with two given lengthy prison terms.

She said: “Authorities raided our house at 5 am without a warrant and arrested two of my sons, Vahid and Navid, in August 2018. Later they arrested my husband and son-in-law. Three months later they arrested Habib.”

Namju continued: “Habib had just married three months before. They physically and psychologically tortured Vahid to such an extent that he attempted suicide three times. God saved him and returned him to us. Later we learned that Vahid was tortured too so he would confess against his brother, Navid.

They held an unjust court hearing full of lies. My sons were not able to defend themselves at all. They raised many allegations against them. They held just one court hearing without any evidence and issued a ruling. I can’t even mention Navid’s ruling [execution] and 25 years in prison for Vahid. I’m asking for help from people across the globe, everyone in Iran, anyone can hear my voice so that my sons can be proven innocent in a fair court. I’m desperately asking for help from anyone who can hear my voice for the unjust ruling against my sons.”

Maryam Rajavi, President of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), condemned these punishments as the regime’s desperate attempt to stop future protests.

The Iranian peoples uprising will certainly lead to the overthrow of the mullahs brutal Regime, especially with the help of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran) and MEK resistance units within Iran, who have been so instrumental in the organizing the protests and breaking the Regime’s atmosphere of fear.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly admitted that the MEK is responsible for the protests and expressed fear that this could well mean the end of the Regime.

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