Iran executes mountaineer Ali-Sina Mostafavi — The Guardian
Iran executed mountaineer Ali-Sina Mostafavi on October 14. He documented ascents of the world’s highest peaks, including Everest. He was detained in April following anti-government protests that took place several months earlier. According to The Guardian, Mostafavi’s execution followed the killing in early October of taekwondo athlete Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi. Mixed martial arts fighter Gholamreza Khani Shakarab was also hanged in May.
Six athletes face the threat of execution
Human Rights for Sport, a group of former Iranian athletes based in Oslo, said that at least six athletes face execution. According to the group, their death sentences were upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court.
They include swimmer Ali Pishvarzadeh and footballer Ehsan Hosseinpour, who were detained during the January protests. The list also includes boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, who was detained in 2020 for taking part in protests a year earlier; last year, he was denied a retrial. This year, death sentences were also handed down to MMA fighter Benyamin Naghd, equestrian athlete Taraneh Rahimi and mountaineer Maryam Siri.
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Circumstances of Mostafavi’s case
At the end of September, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld Mostafavi’s death sentence. According to Human Rights for Sport, he may have been subjected to physical violence while being held in Kerman, after which he was transferred to solitary confinement. He was accused of being an “armed agent of the American-Zionist enemy,” as well as allegedly shooting civilians at Azadi Square in Kerman on March 24 and taking part in the January protests.
Human rights defenders believe that the persecution of prominent athletes is being used as a warning to society. According to Human Rights for Sport’s estimates, 217 Iranian athletes were killed by direct fire in January, and more than 100 people were detained. The organization also reports difficulties communicating with those sentenced, as security forces are persecuting some members of their families.
The International Olympic Committee said it was concerned about the situation of athletes affected by events in Iran, but that, as a non-governmental organization, it does not have the authority to change the laws or political system of a sovereign state. FIFA said it was aware of concerns about the situation of Iranian athletes.
