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In excess of two dozen Olympic champions, mentors and other international athletes have endorsed a appeal urging a stop to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is on death row in the nation.

Increasing Global Anger

During rising global condemnation over Iran’s increasing application of executions as a tool of oppression, the forcefully phrased statement condemns the Iranian regime's decision to confirm the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

Vafaei Sani, thirty, from the city in north-east Iran, was detained for taking part in national uprisings in 2019 and indicted of supporting an opposition group. He has passed half a decade in prison, where he has been tortured and kept in seclusion.

“Athletics is designed to promote optimism, togetherness, and courage,” the endorsers stated. “The capital punishment of a winner for his opinions is a direct assault on these values and a admonition to all sportspeople who dares to voice opinions.

History of Killing Athletes

The letter noted that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was part of a pattern and underscored the nation's history of executing competitors for their convictions, such as Habib Khabiri, skipper of the football side, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the national women’s volleyball team. In the year 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old national sports titleholder, was put to death.

Other signatories to the letter include a yachting pioneer, who skippered the first female-only team in a international sailing event and was the initial female to receive a esteemed yachting trophy; the previous skipper of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Detention and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him entailed “promoting decay on Earth through arson and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned multiple times but on 4 October it was upheld on the third attempt. His trial was condemned as “grossly unfair” by human rights activists and organizations.

Appeal to United Nations

The urging to halt the boxer's capital punishment comes after a 2023 letter to the United Nations official for human rights, endorsed by more than 100 rights specialists and organizations, demanding measures to prevent the athlete’s death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to findings, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has attained shocking levels”. In 2023, the government sentenced at least 853 people – a 48% rise on 2022. In the prior period, data showed 972 deaths, constituting the highest number since the year 2015. Over eight hundred people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are victims, notably in the aftermath of the 2022 uprising. Specialists say the government have utilized the death penalty to stifle opposition, generate anxiety among the citizenry and strengthen their grip on power.