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In excess of twenty Olympic medal winners, trainers and other world-class competitors have endorsed a appeal demanding a stop to the execution of a champion boxer and coach, who is facing execution in the country.

Escalating Global Anger

Amidst growing worldwide anger over the country's expanding employment of capital punishment as a tool of repression, the forcefully phrased statement censures the government's verdict to uphold the capital punishment of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, thirty, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and indicted of supporting an opposition group. He has endured 60 months in incarceration, where he has been abused and confined in solitary confinement.

“Sport is intended to promote faith, solidarity, and fortitude,” the supporters stated. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a caution to all sportspeople who attempts to speak out.

Pattern of Killing Sports Figures

The letter pointed out that the boxer's situation was not unique and underscored the country's history of sentencing to death sports champions for their convictions, for example a football captain, captain of the football side, and a women's sports leader, 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.

Further signatories to the letter consist of a sailing champion, who led the inaugural female-only team in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to earn a renowned sailing award; the previous leader of the Australian football team an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the international competition.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

Vafaei Sani was detained in early 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been reversed multiple times but on October 4 it was confirmed on the third occasion. His court case was criticized as “deeply biased” by rights defenders and groups.

Urging to United Nations

The call to stop the boxer's death sentence is subsequent to a earlier letter to the United Nations official for freedoms, signed by more than one hundred rights specialists and organizations, urging intervention to avert the athlete’s death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on data, there is an “execution crisis in the nation, which has attained alarming levels”. In 2023, officials put to death at least 853 people – a nearly half surge on the previous year. Last year, statistics showed 972 deaths, representing the maximum count since the year 2015. Over 800 people have been executed so far in the current year.

Activists and dissidents are victims, especially in the aftermath of the 2022 demonstrations. Experts say the regime have utilized the executions to quell dissent, generate fear among the population and reinforce their control on rule.