(ATR) Athleten Deutschland joins the international movement of sports and human rights organizations calling on Iran to stop the planned execution of wrestler Navid Afkari.
The World Players Association (WPA) and Global Athlete are among the athlete groups who earlier this week publicly asked the head of the Iranian Judiciary and the Iranian Supreme Leader to halt plans to execute Afkari.
Global Athlete on Thursday released an updated statement saying Afkari is believed to still be alive in a high security prison but that all communication from him has ceased.
The 27-year-old was convicted and given two death sentences for the murder of a security man in Shiraz during anti-government protests in 2018. Afkari’s lawyer says the death sentence was upheld despite clear evidence that Afkari was tortured to give a false confession in the case.
"We call on all athletes to unite in solidarity with Navid Afkari. As the athlete and sports community, we must protect him. If an athlete's peaceful protest is countered with torture and execution, we cannot remain silent," Johannes Herber, CEO of Athleten Deutschland said in a statement on Thursday.
Global Athlete called on Thursday for athletes and athletes groups to continue their campaign to demand Iran "immediately and permanently" halt the execution.
The organization also wants National Olympic Committees to join in the effort and asked sport leaders, including the IOC and United World Wrestling "to put in place formal and public sanctions should Iran not cease its plans to execute Navid Afkari".
Ahead of Wednesday's IOC Executive Board meeting, WPA executive director Brendan Schwab called on the IOC to use "its leverage to demand that Iran abides by the IOC's international standards on human rights and humanitarian values, or else risk the ability to remain part of the Olympic Movement".
IOC President Thomas Bach, during a teleconference with reporters after the EB meeting, said while the IOC must "respect the sovereignty" of Iran "on the other hand, Navid Afkari is an athlete and therefore we feel close to him.
"The IOC, together with United World Wrestling, are extremely concerned about this case and we have taken contact with our respective partners."
UWW confirms to Around the Rings that the federation and the IOC "have been in constant contact with the Iranian Wrestling Federation and Iranian NOC, respectively, which are doing their utmost to facilitate a solution".
U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter last week on behalf of Afkari, saying "To the leaders of Iran, I would greatly appreciate if you would spare this young man's life, and not execute him".
Written by Gerard Farek
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