Three protesters were executed on Thursday, March 19, after being accused of k!lling two police officers during unrest in January, according to the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency.
The executions of wrestler Saleh Mohammadi and two other men; Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davvodi, are the first such sentences known to have been carried out in relation to the demonstrations.
Mohammadi, a national-level wrestler who had competed internationally, denied the charges in court and said his confession had been obtained under torture, according to accounts from those close to him. Members of Iran’s wrestling community had also defended him, saying he had no history of violence. 
He had represented Iran in international wrestling events, including the 2024 Saitiev Cup in Russia, where he won a bronze medal.
His execution has drawn comparisons to wrestler Navid Afkari, whose case became a symbol of the use of capital punishment following protests.
Protests in January, which began over the deteriorating economic situation and escalated to become a wider outcry against the theocratic government, were suppressed with force.
