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In excess of twenty Olympic champions, trainers and further global sports figures have endorsed a letter demanding a end to the death penalty of a boxing champion and coach, who is facing execution in the country.

Escalating International Outrage

During rising global condemnation over the nation's expanding employment of executions as a means of oppression, the powerfully expressed statement denounces the Iranian regime's ruling to uphold the capital punishment of the boxing champion.

The athlete, three decades old, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for taking part in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and indicted of supporting an dissident organization. He has passed five years in prison, where he has been tortured and kept in isolation.

“Athletics is intended to encourage hope, togetherness, and fortitude,” the endorsers expressed. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his opinions is a blatant attack on these principles and a admonition to every athlete who attempts to speak out.

Record of Putting to Death Athletes

The letter noted that the boxer's case was not an isolated one and underscored Iran’s history of executing athletes for their views, including Habib Khabiri, leader of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian wrestling champion, was also executed.

Additional supporters to the statement include a sailing champion, who led the inaugural women's squad in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to receive a prestigious nautical honor; the ex- captain of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

Vafaei Sani was detained in early 2020. The allegations against him comprised “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and damage of state assets”. His ruling has been reversed twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was condemned as “grossly unfair” by advocates and organizations.

Appeal to UN

The urging to prevent the athlete's execution follows a 2023 statement to the United Nations official for rights, backed by over 100 rights specialists and organizations, urging intervention to stop the athlete’s execution.

Execution Crisis

Based on reports, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has reached alarming levels”. In 2023, officials executed at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent rise on the previous year. Last year, records showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, constituting the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. In excess of 800 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 government have employed the executions to quell dissent, instil anxiety among the citizenry and strengthen their control on power.