UN condemns Iran’s extrajudicial killing of champion wrestler

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday cited the Iranian regime’s hanging of the champion Greco-Roman wrestler Navid Afkari in a resolution that condemned the regime for its widespread human rights violations.

The sponsors of the resolution called on the “Islamic Republic of Iran to launch a comprehensive accountability process in response to all cases of serious human rights violations, including allegations of excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detention, and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment against peaceful protesters and political prisoners, failure to respect fair trial guarantees, and the use of torture to extract confessions, such as in the case of Navid Afkari and others.”

The resolution added that accountability inquiry should also include “cases of suspicious deaths in custody, as well as long-standing violations involving the Iranian judiciary and security agencies, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions, and calls upon the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to end impunity for such violations.”

Hillel Neuer, the executive director of UN Watch, tweeted:

“GOOD: Despite opposition by the world’s most murderous regimes, the U.N. just condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran for arbitrary arrest & detention, torture of peaceful protesters & political prisoners–and specifically cited the case of Navid Afkari.”

GOOD: Despite opposition by the world’s most murderous regimes, the U.N. just condemned the Islamic Republic of Iran for arbitrary arrest & detention, torture of peaceful protesters & political prisoners—and specifically cited the case of Navid Afkari. 👉 https://t.co/gsNiD3VKih https://t.co/mxntf4qXri pic.twitter.com/Qdx2oXX25w

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 18, 2020

Neuer added took to task the countries that opposed the resolution in a second Tweet, writing: “LIST OF SHAME: Countries who just voted No to U.N. General Assembly condemnation of #Iran’s human rights abuses.”

LIST OF SHAME: Countries who just voted No to U.N. General Assembly condemnation of #Iran‘s human rights abuses.
🇰🇵 North Korea
🇵🇭 Philippines
🇻🇪 Venezuela
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
🇱🇧 Lebanon
🇵🇰 Pakistan
🇧🇾 Belarus
🇪🇷 Eritrea
🇷🇺 Russia
🇴🇲 Oman
🇨🇳 China
🇨🇺 Cuba
🇮🇳 India
🇮🇶 Iraq pic.twitter.com/4rITGybodV

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 18, 2020

According to the final tally, 79 countries voted for the resolution to condemn Iran’s regime while 32 voted against the resolution. A total of 64 nations abstained.

Iran’s regime hanged Afkari on September 12, claiming he killed a security officer during 2018 nation-wide protests against regime corruption. Afkari said prior to his execution that “There is not one shred of evidence in this damned case that shows I’m guilty,” but the regime’s hanging judges “are looking for a neck for their rope.” The US government sanctioned the judicial and prison officials involved in hanging Afkari.