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In excess of 20 Olympic medal winners, coaches and additional global sports figures have endorsed a statement demanding a stop to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and instructor, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Growing International Outrage

Amid rising international outrage over the nation's increasing application of capital punishment as a means of suppression, the strongly worded statement condemns the Iranian regime's verdict to maintain the execution order of the athlete.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from the city in the northeastern region, was taken into custody for being involved in national uprisings in two thousand nineteen and accused of aiding an opposition group. He has passed five years in prison, where he has been mistreated and kept in isolation.

“Competition is intended to encourage faith, unity, and courage,” the signatories stated. “The execution of a winner for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a caution to every athlete who attempts to express dissent.

Pattern of Executing Competitors

The letter said that the boxer's case was not an isolated one and underscored the country's history of sentencing to death sports champions for their views, such as Habib Khabiri, captain of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old national sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Other endorsers to the letter comprise a sailing champion, who led the pioneering all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the first woman to earn a esteemed sailing award; the previous captain of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

Vafaei Sani was arrested in early 2020. The allegations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of government belongings”. His sentence has been reversed multiple times but on 4 October it was upheld on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was denounced as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and bodies.

Appeal to UN

The urging to halt Vafaei Sani’s execution is subsequent to a earlier appeal to the global human rights chief for human rights, endorsed by more than one hundred rights specialists and organizations, urging action to avert the athlete’s execution.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the nation, which has attained horrific dimensions”. In 2023, authorities put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a 48% rise on the previous year. The year before, records showed nearly a thousand capital punishments, marking the peak figure since 2015. Over 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and dissidents are victims, especially in the aftermath of the the year 2022 protests. Specialists say the regime have employed the death penalty to suppress opposition, generate anxiety among the population and strengthen their grip on rule.