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In excess of two dozen Olympic medallists, mentors and additional world-class competitors have signed a appeal calling for a halt to the execution of a champion boxer and coach, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Growing Global Anger

During increasing international outrage over the country's escalating use of executions as a means of repression, the forcefully phrased appeal denounces the Iranian regime's ruling to maintain the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, thirty, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for taking part in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and accused of aiding an resistance movement. He has spent five years in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and kept in seclusion.

“Competition is meant to encourage faith, unity, and bravery,” the signatories expressed. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a admonition to any competitor who ventures to voice opinions.

Pattern of Putting to Death Competitors

The statement said that Vafaei Sani’s case was not unique and underscored Iran’s past of putting to death competitors for their views, such as Habib Khabiri, captain of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, a wrestling champion, a young Iranian sports titleholder, was put to death.

Other endorsers to the appeal include Tracy Edwards, who led the pioneering female-only team in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to earn a prestigious yachting trophy; the previous leader of the soccer side an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was taken into custody in early 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned multiple times but on October 4 it was maintained on the third attempt. His trial was criticized as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and organizations.

Appeal to United Nations

The urging to halt the boxer's capital punishment is subsequent to a previous appeal to the UN high commissioner for rights, endorsed by in excess of one hundred advocates and organizations, demanding measures to prevent the competitor's death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the nation, which has reached horrific proportions”. In the year 2023, the government executed at least 853 people – a nearly half surge on 2022. In the prior period, records showed nearly a thousand capital punishments, representing the highest number since two thousand fifteen. More than hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are victims, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022's uprising. Analysts say the government have utilized the capital punishment to suppress protest, instil anxiety among the population and reinforce their grip on authority.