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More than twenty Olympic medallists, mentors and other world-class competitors have endorsed a statement urging a halt to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and coach, who is on death row in Iran.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

During rising worldwide anger over the nation's escalating use of the death penalty as a instrument of oppression, the powerfully expressed letter condemns the authorities's decision to confirm the execution order of the athlete.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for participating in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and charged of aiding an resistance movement. He has endured five years in prison, where he has been mistreated and confined in solitary confinement.

“Sport is meant to encourage hope, togetherness, and fortitude,” the endorsers stated. “The execution of a champion for his beliefs is a clear violation on these values and a admonition to every athlete who ventures to express dissent.

Record of Executing Sports Figures

The appeal pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s situation was part of a pattern and highlighted the nation's past of putting to death sports champions for their convictions, such as a national team leader, leader of the football side, and a women's sports leader, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a young Iranian sports titleholder, was put to death.

Other signatories to the appeal comprise a sailing champion, who captained the pioneering all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the initial female to earn a renowned sailing award; the ex- leader of the Australian football team an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was taken into custody in March 2020. The charges against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through arson and ruin of state assets”. His sentence has been reversed twice but on October 4 it was confirmed on the third attempt. His court case was criticized as “highly unjust” by rights defenders and organizations.

Call to International Body

The appeal to halt the athlete's execution is subsequent to a earlier letter to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, backed by in excess of 100 human rights experts and groups, urging intervention to stop the competitor's capital punishment.

Execution Crisis

As per data, there is an “execution crisis in the nation, which has attained alarming levels”. In the year 2023, the government sentenced at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent increase on the previous year. In the prior period, records showed 972 executions, marking the peak figure since 2015. Over hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 uprising. Analysts say the government have used the capital punishment to stifle opposition, instil anxiety among the citizenry and tighten their control on power.