Iranian champion wrestler Navid Afkari has been reportedly executed after being convicted of stabbing a security guard to death during anti-government protests in 2018. "Afkari was executed this morning after legal procedures were carried out at the insistence of the parents and the family of the victim," state media quoted the head of the justice department in the southern Fars province as saying. Notably, the case had attracted an international outcry. In fact, U.S. President Donald Trump also called on Iran this month not to execute the wrestler.

According to IRNA, the 27-year-old was executed at a prison in Shiraz. Afkari had claimed he was tortured into making a false confession, according to his family and activists, and his attorney also stated that there is no proof of his guilt. However, Iran's judiciary have denied all the torture claims. A global union representing 85,000 athletes called on Tuesday for Iran's expulsion from world sport if it executed Afkari.

Earlier, the World Players Association had protested the sentence and called for Iran to be threatened with expulsion from international sport, including from the Olympic movement, if the execution was carried out.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 12, 2020 05:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).