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Over twenty Olympic medallists, coaches and additional world-class competitors have signed a appeal urging a stop to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is on death row in the nation.

Growing Global Anger

Amid increasing worldwide anger over the country's increasing application of capital punishment as a means of repression, the powerfully expressed appeal condemns the authorities's decision to maintain the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, three decades old, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and indicted of aiding an opposition group. He has spent half a decade in detention, where he has been abused and held in seclusion.

“Sport is designed to encourage faith, togetherness, and fortitude,” the endorsers stated. “The execution of a winner for his opinions is a blatant attack on these ideals and a caution to all sportspeople who ventures to voice opinions.

Pattern of Killing Competitors

The statement said that Vafaei Sani’s case was not unique and highlighted the country's past of putting to death competitors for their convictions, for example Habib Khabiri, leader of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a young national competitor, was also executed.

Further supporters to the letter comprise Tracy Edwards, who captained the pioneering female-only team in a global yacht race and was the first woman to receive a esteemed sailing award; the former leader of the soccer side a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The athlete was taken into custody in March 2020. The accusations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and damage of state assets”. His sentence has been reversed twice but on the fourth of October it was upheld on the latest review. His legal proceedings was condemned as “grossly unfair” by human rights activists and groups.

Appeal to United Nations

The urging to prevent Vafaei Sani’s death sentence follows a previous letter to the United Nations official for rights, endorsed by over a hundred advocates and entities, calling for intervention to avert the sports figure's capital punishment.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on findings, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has reached shocking levels”. In the year 2023, the government executed at least 853 people – a forty-eight percent increase on the previous year. The year before, records showed 972 deaths, marking the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. In excess of hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and dissidents are targets, notably in the aftermath of the 2022 demonstrations. Experts say the Iranian authorities have utilized the executions to stifle protest, create anxiety among the population and strengthen their grip on power.