Iranian wrestler seeks refuge in Germany after ‘threats’ for backing anti-regime protests

Iran’s celebrated wrestler Mohammad Namjoo-Motlagh was forced to seek refuge in Germany after receiving threats from Iranian authorities for expressing support for the protests that have swamped his homeland. In a conversation with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the 26-year-old said that he got “constant threats and psychological pressure” from state bodies such as the Iran Wrestling Federation.

“It was clear where this was going,” he said, without sharing details of how he fled from Iran to seek asylum in the West. “I would either lose my life or they would blind me, or in the best-case scenario, I would be sent to prison,” he added. The wrestler, who is said to have made posts on social media critical of the Iranian regime, said that many Iranian athletes prefer to remain tightlipped about the unrest due to fears for their own safety. 

“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,” he said.

According to Namjoo-Motlagh, those athletes who “stand on the side of the truth” will end up like Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old wrestler who was hung after being convicted of killing an Iranian government employee during a protest in 2018. He had said that his confession was extracted via torture. 

Iranian athletes seek refuge in the West over fears 

Going forward, Namjoo-Motlagh wishes that he can continue to be a strong voice that can stand up against the Iranian regime. “I will remain their voice until Iran is freed from oppression,” he said. Meanwhile, Namjoo-Motlagh isn’t the only sportsperson from Iran to seek asylum far away from his homeland.

Earlier in December, sources told Spanish news outlet El País that Iranian chess player Sara Khadem was planning to move to Spain after images of her without a hijab surfaced. As per the sources, Khadem did not wish to return to Iran after she was seen not wearing her headscarf during a tournament in fear of retaliation by the Iranian regime.