Morteza Yousefi, who was a former champion of Iran’s national Greco-Roman wrestling team, was executed at dawn today, Wednesday, September 11, in Nowshahr Prison. He had previously been sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses.

The identity of the prisoner has been confirmed by HRANA as Morteza Yousefi, approximately 41 years old, a resident of the village of Sang-e Tajen, Nowshahr, with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a former champion of Iran’s national Greco-Roman wrestling team.

Mr. Yousefi had previously been arrested on drug-related charges and sentenced to death by the judiciary.

In a prior letter to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary, Yousefi had written that three judges involved in his case had requested a reduction in his sentence, and that the Supreme Court had overturned his death sentence, which had also been approved by the Supreme Leader’s pardon commission. In the letter, he wrote that the implementation of his pardon required only final approval and the order of the head of the judiciary.

Shortly after, Hassan Rangraz, head coach of Iran’s national Greco-Roman wrestling team, also shared an image of Yousefi’s letter and urged the head of the judiciary to revoke the death sentence and reduce his punishment.

However, the requests by Yousefi and the support of athletes and wrestling officials were ignored by the judiciary, and Morteza Yousefi was finally executed at dawn today in Nowshahr Prison.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and relevant institutions have not officially announced his execution.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.