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In excess of two dozen Olympic champions, coaches and further international athletes have signed a appeal demanding a end to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and trainer, who is on death row in the country.

Increasing Global Anger

Amidst increasing global condemnation over the nation's increasing application of capital punishment as a instrument of repression, the forcefully phrased letter condemns the authorities's decision to confirm the death sentence of the boxing champion.

The athlete, 30, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for participating in countrywide demonstrations in two thousand nineteen and indicted of aiding an dissident organization. He has endured five years in prison, where he has been mistreated and kept in isolation.

“Competition is meant to encourage faith, unity, and courage,” the signatories stated. “The execution of a winner for his political views is a clear violation on these values and a admonition to any competitor who dares to voice opinions.

Pattern of Executing Athletes

The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was not an isolated one and underscored the country's past of executing athletes for their views, for example Habib Khabiri, captain of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the female volleyball side. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, was put to death.

Further endorsers to the appeal include a sailing champion, who led the pioneering female-only team in a global yacht race and was the initial female to receive a esteemed nautical honor; the former leader of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was detained in early 2020. The accusations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of public property”. His verdict has been overturned on two occasions but on 4 October it was maintained on the third occasion. His court case was condemned as “grossly unfair” by rights defenders and bodies.

Urging to International Body

The appeal to stop Vafaei Sani’s death sentence follows a previous statement to the United Nations official for human rights, endorsed by more than a hundred advocates and organizations, calling for measures to prevent the sports figure's death.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on findings, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has reached alarming levels”. In the year 2023, the government executed at least over 850 people – a 48% increase on the previous year. Last year, records showed 972 deaths, representing the peak figure since 2015. More than eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Activists and opponents are targets, notably in the wake of the the year 2022 uprising. Specialists say the regime have utilized the executions to quell dissent, generate fear among the citizenry and reinforce their grip on authority.