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In excess of twenty Olympic medal winners, trainers and additional international athletes have endorsed a letter calling for a halt to the execution of a boxing champion and trainer, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Increasing International Outrage

Amid increasing international outrage over the nation's increasing application of the death penalty as a means of repression, the powerfully expressed appeal censures the government's ruling to uphold the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northern province, was arrested for participating in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and charged of backing an resistance movement. He has endured half a decade in prison, where he has been mistreated and kept in seclusion.

“Competition is designed to promote hope, togetherness, and fortitude,” the signatories stated. “The capital punishment of a champion for his beliefs is a blatant attack on these values and a caution to all sportspeople who attempts to voice opinions.

History of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The letter pointed out that the athlete's situation was part of a pattern and highlighted the nation's past of putting to death athletes for their beliefs, such as a national team leader, leader of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, skipper of the national women’s volleyball team. In the year 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Further signatories to the appeal include Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the pioneering lady to be awarded a prestigious yachting trophy; the ex- leader of the national squad a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Apprehension and Unjust Proceedings

Vafaei Sani was arrested in March 2020. The accusations against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through arson and damage of public property”. His sentence has been overturned multiple times but on October 4 it was confirmed on the latest review. His trial was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and bodies.

Appeal to UN

The appeal to stop the boxer's death sentence comes after a earlier letter to the global human rights chief for freedoms, signed by over a hundred advocates and entities, demanding intervention to prevent the sports figure's capital punishment.

Execution Crisis

Based on reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the country, which has achieved shocking levels”. In 2023, authorities put to death at least over 850 people – a 48% increase on 2022. In the prior period, records showed 972 executions, representing the highest number since the year 2015. In excess of eight hundred people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Dissidents and dissidents are targets, notably in the aftermath of the 2022's protests. Experts say the Iranian authorities have utilized the capital punishment to suppress protest, generate anxiety among the citizenry and strengthen their grip on authority.