Navid Afkari - Iranian Wrestler Executed

[Crossface86]

Don't ever think the twisted religious/political systems of the Middle East can work simultaneously with those of the Western world. We in the U.S. may have our political differences, but we do not go out of our way to silence our critics ... well, except for a few administrations.

Be thankful you are Americans. Be thankful you have the right to march in our streets and criticize anyone for anything. Be thankful you do not live in Iran, China, Russia or other countries that murder their political opponents. Be thankful that someday our own politics will again be a system of compassion, understanding, listening and forgiveness. Hate will be our own demise.

Iranian champion wrestler Navid Afkari executed despite international campaign | CNN

Iranian champion wrestler Navid Afkari has been executed in Iran on Saturday, according to Iran's state-run news agency IRNA, despite a high-profile international campaign calling for the sentence not to be carried out.

edition.cnn.com

 

[OCEagle]

I don't know as that this is so politically charged as I originally thought. He was accused of murder and from the accounts available - which are sketchy at best, he allegedly confessed to the killing. The article claims he was tortured into a confession, and that there was also a video recording of his confession along with Afkari providing a re-enactment of the killing. We are naturally shocked at an execution being carried out on a wrestling hero in Iran. But, if he did commit murder, he would have been well aware of the consequences for such an act in Iran. So we are left to try and determine if the crime was committed - or if he was coerced/tortured into a confession (as alleged in the report) and was made to be an example to others that choose to oppose their government. We will probably never know the actual facts of what happened - only those allowed to be released by the Iranian government. I only bring this up because the reports I had heard previously is that he was being executed only for opposing the government in several protests. No mention of a murder was made in those reports. I first heard of a murder occurring in a news report on Fox News last night (9/13).

 

[Crossface86]

I hadn't heard that. Always 2 sides ... Thanks for the updated information. No matter the circumstances, it's a shame for all families involved.

 

[Joe Daugherty]

I don't know as that this is so politically charged as I originally thought. He was accused of murder and from the accounts available - which are sketchy at best, he allegedly confessed to the killing. The article claims he was tortured into a confession, and that there was also a video recording of his confession along with Afkari providing a re-enactment of the killing. We are naturally shocked at an execution being carried out on a wrestling hero in Iran. But, if he did commit murder, he would have been well aware of the consequences for such an act in Iran. So we are left to try and determine if the crime was committed - or if he was coerced/tortured into a confession (as alleged in the report) and was made to be an example to others that choose to oppose their government. We will probably never know the actual facts of what happened - only those allowed to be released by the Iranian government. I only bring this up because the reports I had heard previously is that he was being executed only for opposing the government in several protests. No mention of a murder was made in those reports. I first heard of a murder occurring in a news report on Fox News last night (9/13).

Very well said!
The key is we will never know.