A decorated Iranian wrestler fled to Germany to avoid a possible death sentence or being blinded by the authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran for his social media posts in support of the revolt against the Iranian theocratic state.
The star wrestler Mohammad Namjoo-Motlagh told the US government news outlet RFE/RL's Radio Farda in late January that "It was clear where this was going" and "I would either lose my life or they would blind me, or in the best-case scenario, I would be sent to prison."
Namjoo-Motlagh added he faced "constant threats and psychological pressure" from the Iran Wrestling Federation and other state entities.
"I would either lose my life or they would blind me, or in the best-case scenario, I would be sent to prison," says an Iran wrestler who went into self-imposed exile.https://t.co/Xm4APcD88Y
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) January 27, 2023
The Iranian-American expert on the Islamic Republic, Alireza Nader, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that "The wrestler’s defection is yet another example of how the Islamic Republic has driven out millions of smart, talented, and ambitious Iranians from their country. Iran will face ultimate ruin unless the Islamic Republic is overthrown and Iran is able to use its vast natural and human resources to achieve its full potential as a nation."
"The wrestler’s defection is yet another example of how the Islamic Republic has driven out millions of smart, talented, and ambitious Iranians from their country. Iran will face ultimate ruin unless the Islamic Republic is overthrown and Iran is able to use its vast natural and human resources to achieve its full potential as a nation."
Alireza Nader
According to Radio Farda, the 26-year-old Namjoo-Motlagh did not disclose how he escaped from Iran and arrived in Europe.
Namjoo-Motlagh told Radio Farda that although some Iranian athletes protested against the regime's repression, adding that many athletes went silent because of threats to their existence.
"It was extremely sad to see that members of the national wrestling team, soccer team, and others were condemned to silence for fear for their lives and the lives of their families," said Namjoo-Motlagh, who is a lightweight wrestler. Iranian wrestlers are some of the best in the world and Iran frequently wins medals in Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in the Olympics and international competitions. Wrestling is a national pastime sport in Iran.
Will Iran's Mohammad Namjoo-Motlagh suffer the same fate as Navid Afkari?
Namjoo-Motlagh told the outlet that Iranian athletes who "stand on the side of the truth" will suffer the same fate as the 27-year-old wrestler Navid Afkari, who was m hanged in 2020 by Iran's regime for his peaceful protest in 2018 against the Islamic Republic's political and economic corruption. The clerical regime framed Afkari, claiming he killed an Iranian government employee assigned to spy on protestors, according to human rights groups. The US government slapped sanctions in 2020 on the Iranian Judge Seyyed Mahmoud Sadati who sentenced Afkari to death. Iranian officials tortured Afkari to make a false confession, according to Afkari and eyewitnesses.
Iran's regime arrested Afkari's brothers Habib and Vahid in 2018 for also protesting against worsening economic conditions and political corruption. They have suffered inhumane conditions during their incarceration, according to independent Iranian media reports. In November, Iran's regime arrested Navid's sister, Elham Afkari, claiming she was an “Iran International agent." The clerical regime has been in a state of panic over the Afkari family due to the international campaign to secure the freedom of the Afkari brothers and remember Navid's efforts to root out the repression of women in Iran and the widespread corruption within the clerical state. Habib was released from prison in March 2022 due to public pressure.