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More than two dozen Olympic champions, mentors and other world-class competitors have endorsed a statement urging a end to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is facing execution in the nation.

Increasing International Outrage

During rising global condemnation over the nation's escalating use of capital punishment as a instrument of suppression, the powerfully expressed statement censures the authorities's decision to uphold the execution order of the boxing champion.

The boxer, three decades old, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was detained for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and charged of aiding an opposition group. He has endured 60 months in detention, where he has been mistreated and confined in seclusion.

“Competition is meant to promote hope, solidarity, and courage,” the signatories stated. “The capital punishment of a winner for his political views is a blatant attack on these ideals and a caution to any competitor who attempts to speak out.

History of Killing Athletes

The letter noted that Vafaei Sani’s situation was part of a pattern and emphasized Iran’s history of executing sports champions for their convictions, including Habib Khabiri, captain of the football side, and a women's sports leader, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In two thousand twenty, an athlete, a 27-year-old national wrestling champion, was also executed.

Further endorsers to the letter include Tracy Edwards, who led the pioneering female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the initial female to receive a prestigious yachting trophy; the former skipper of the Australian football team an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the Iranian squad for the global tournament.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was arrested in early 2020. The accusations against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through arson and ruin of government belongings”. His verdict has been overturned twice but on the fourth of October it was confirmed on the third occasion. His court case was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and organizations.

Appeal to United Nations

The call to stop the boxer's capital punishment comes after a previous letter to the United Nations official for rights, signed by more than 100 advocates and entities, urging intervention to prevent the athlete’s execution.

Execution Crisis

According to findings, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the nation, which has attained shocking proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, officials executed at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent rise on 2022. In the prior period, records showed 972 capital punishments, constituting the highest number since 2015. More than eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Activists and opponents are targets, especially in the wake of the the year 2022 uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have used the death penalty to quell protest, create apprehension among the citizenry and tighten their hold on rule.