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In excess of twenty Olympic medallists, trainers and additional global sports figures have endorsed a letter calling for a halt to the execution of a boxing champion and instructor, who is facing execution in the country.

Escalating International Outrage

During rising international outrage over Iran’s increasing application of capital punishment as a instrument of oppression, the forcefully phrased appeal censures the Iranian regime's decision to confirm the death sentence of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, three decades old, from the city in the northern province, was detained for taking part in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and charged of supporting an opposition group. He has spent 60 months in prison, where he has been tortured and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is intended to encourage faith, unity, and courage,” the endorsers wrote. “The death penalty of a champion for his beliefs is a clear violation on these principles and a warning to any competitor who ventures to express dissent.

Record of Killing Sports Figures

The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was not unique and emphasized Iran’s record of putting to death athletes for their convictions, for example Habib Khabiri, captain of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, skipper of the female volleyball side. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old national sports titleholder, was put to death.

Additional supporters to the statement include Tracy Edwards, who skippered the pioneering female-only team in a international sailing event and was the initial female to receive a prestigious sailing award; the previous skipper of the national squad a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

The athlete was arrested in early 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and destruction of government belongings”. His ruling has been annulled twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was condemned as “deeply biased” by rights defenders and bodies.

Appeal to International Body

The appeal to prevent Vafaei Sani’s execution comes after a previous statement to the United Nations official for freedoms, backed by more than one hundred advocates and entities, urging intervention to prevent the competitor's execution.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to findings, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has achieved shocking proportions”. In 2023, the government executed at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent increase on 2022. Last year, statistics showed nearly a thousand deaths, representing the highest number since 2015. In excess of hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and opponents are focus, particularly in the wake of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Analysts say the regime have employed the death penalty to suppress protest, create fear among the population and reinforce their grip on rule.