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Over 20 Olympic medallists, coaches and other global sports figures have put their names to a statement urging a end to the death penalty of a champion boxer and coach, who is on death row in the country.

Escalating Worldwide Condemnation

Amidst increasing international outrage over the nation's increasing application of the death penalty as a instrument of repression, the forcefully phrased statement denounces the government's verdict to maintain the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northern province, was taken into custody for participating in national uprisings in two thousand nineteen and accused of supporting an resistance movement. He has spent 60 months in prison, where he has been mistreated and held in seclusion.

“Competition is designed to inspire faith, unity, and bravery,” the endorsers wrote. “The capital punishment of a titleholder for his beliefs is a blatant attack on these principles and a admonition to any competitor who attempts to speak out.

History of Killing Sports Figures

The appeal pointed out that the boxer's situation was not unique and highlighted Iran’s record of executing competitors for their views, for example a football captain, skipper of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, was also executed.

Other endorsers to the appeal comprise Tracy Edwards, who led the pioneering female-only team in a global yacht race and was the initial female to earn a esteemed sailing award; the former captain of the national squad Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Apprehension and Unjust Proceedings

Vafaei Sani was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and damage of state assets”. His verdict has been annulled on two occasions but on 4 October it was upheld on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and groups.

Urging to UN

The urging to stop Vafaei Sani’s death sentence follows a 2023 statement to the United Nations official for human rights, signed by more than one hundred advocates and organizations, demanding measures to prevent the competitor's death.

Execution Crisis

According to findings, there is an “execution crisis in the nation, which has attained shocking levels”. In the year 2023, the government put to death at least over 850 people – a nearly half rise on 2022. The year before, data showed 972 executions, representing the peak figure since 2015. Over hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and protesters are victims, especially in the aftermath of the 2022's uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have used the capital punishment to stifle dissent, create apprehension among the public and reinforce their hold on rule.