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Over 20 Olympic medal winners, mentors and other world-class competitors have put their names to a statement demanding a end to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and coach, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Increasing International Outrage

Amidst growing worldwide anger over the country's expanding employment of executions as a means of repression, the strongly worded letter censures the authorities's verdict to uphold the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northern province, was taken into custody for taking part in nationwide protests in the year 2019 and charged of aiding an dissident organization. He has endured 60 months in incarceration, where he has been tortured and held in seclusion.

“Sport is intended to encourage faith, togetherness, and fortitude,” the endorsers stated. “The capital punishment of a winner for his political views is a direct assault on these principles and a admonition to every athlete who attempts to express dissent.

Pattern of Putting to Death Athletes

The statement said that the boxer's circumstances was not an isolated one and underscored Iran’s record of executing sports champions for their convictions, for example a national team leader, captain of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In the year 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old national sports titleholder, was put to death.

Additional supporters to the statement include a sailing champion, who captained the inaugural all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to receive a prestigious sailing award; the ex- leader of the soccer side a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the Iranian squad for the 1978 World Cup.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was taken into custody in early 2020. The charges against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned on two occasions but on 4 October it was confirmed on the latest review. His trial was denounced as “highly unjust” by advocates and groups.

Call to United Nations

The appeal to stop the boxer's death sentence follows a earlier letter to the United Nations official for human rights, backed by more than 100 human rights experts and organizations, demanding action to prevent the athlete’s execution.

Execution Crisis

According to findings, there is an “death penalty surge in the country, which has reached shocking levels”. In the year 2023, officials executed at least 853 people – a forty-eight percent surge on 2022. In the prior period, records showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, marking the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. In excess of hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and dissidents are targets, especially in the aftermath of the 2022's protests. Experts say the Iranian authorities have employed the death penalty to stifle dissent, create anxiety among the population and reinforce their control on authority.