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In excess of twenty Olympic medallists, mentors and further global sports figures have endorsed a letter demanding a stop to the execution of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Escalating International Outrage

Amid increasing international outrage over the nation's expanding employment of capital punishment as a means of suppression, the forcefully phrased statement censures the government's decision to confirm the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, thirty, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for participating in national uprisings in 2019 and indicted of aiding an dissident organization. He has passed five years in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and held in isolation.

“Competition is intended to inspire optimism, unity, and bravery,” the supporters wrote. “The execution of a winner for his beliefs is a clear violation on these principles and a admonition to all sportspeople who attempts to voice opinions.

History of Killing Athletes

The statement said that the athlete's circumstances was part of a pattern and emphasized Iran’s record of executing athletes for their beliefs, for example Habib Khabiri, skipper of the national football team, and a women's sports leader, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year Iranian sports titleholder, was also executed.

Other signatories to the letter comprise a sailing champion, who captained the pioneering female-only team in a international sailing event and was the initial female to earn a renowned sailing award; the ex- skipper of the soccer side an athlete; and a sports figure, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Detention and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was detained in March 2020. The accusations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned twice but on October 4 it was upheld on the third attempt. His trial was condemned as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and bodies.

Appeal to UN

The appeal to prevent the boxer's execution follows a previous statement to the UN high commissioner for rights, endorsed by more than a hundred human rights experts and organizations, demanding action to avert the athlete’s death.

Death Penalty Surge

As per data, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has achieved shocking proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government put to death at least 853 people – a 48% surge on 2022. The year before, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two capital punishments, marking the maximum count since 2015. More than hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and protesters are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have employed the executions to suppress opposition, instil anxiety among the citizenry and reinforce their grip on power.