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More than 20 Olympic medallists, trainers and additional global sports figures have signed a statement demanding a end to the execution of a champion boxer and trainer, who is on death row in the nation.

Growing Worldwide Condemnation

Amidst rising international outrage over Iran’s escalating use of executions as a instrument of suppression, the forcefully phrased letter denounces the Iranian regime's verdict to uphold the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, thirty, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was detained for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and accused of backing an opposition group. He has passed half a decade in detention, where he has been abused and kept in seclusion.

“Sport is meant to promote optimism, solidarity, and bravery,” the supporters expressed. “The death penalty of a winner for his opinions is a direct assault on these principles and a admonition to any competitor who dares to voice opinions.

Record of Putting to Death Competitors

The letter said that the boxer's circumstances was not unique and emphasized Iran’s history of sentencing to death sports champions for their views, for example a national team leader, skipper of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a young national wrestling champion, faced the death penalty.

Additional supporters to the appeal include Tracy Edwards, who skippered the inaugural women's squad in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to be awarded a prestigious yachting trophy; the previous skipper of the national squad a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

The boxer was detained in March 2020. The allegations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through arson and destruction of government belongings”. His sentence has been reversed on two occasions but on 4 October it was maintained on the latest review. His court case was criticized as “grossly unfair” by human rights activists and organizations.

Appeal to International Body

The call to stop the athlete's capital punishment is subsequent to a 2023 letter to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, backed by in excess of a hundred advocates and groups, urging measures to prevent the sports figure's execution.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to reports, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has reached shocking proportions”. In 2023, officials put to death at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent rise on 2022. The year before, data showed nearly a thousand deaths, marking the highest number since 2015. Over hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Dissidents and dissidents are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the the year 2022 uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have utilized the executions to suppress opposition, create anxiety among the public and strengthen their grip on power.