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Over 20 Olympic champions, trainers and further international athletes have put their names to a appeal demanding a end to the execution of a champion boxer and trainer, who is sentenced to die in Iran.

Escalating International Outrage

During increasing international outrage over the country's escalating use of capital punishment as a means of repression, the forcefully phrased statement condemns the authorities's verdict to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, thirty, from the city in north-east Iran, was detained for participating in national uprisings in two thousand nineteen and accused of supporting an opposition group. He has spent half a decade in prison, where he has been mistreated and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is meant to promote hope, solidarity, and bravery,” the supporters expressed. “The execution of a titleholder for his beliefs is a clear violation on these values and a warning to every athlete who ventures to speak out.

Record of Putting to Death Athletes

The letter noted that the athlete's circumstances was not unique and underscored the nation's record of sentencing to death competitors for their views, for example a football captain, leader of the national football team, and a women's sports leader, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, an athlete, a young Iranian competitor, was put to death.

Other signatories to the appeal comprise a sailing champion, who captained the first all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the initial female to be awarded a esteemed nautical honor; the previous skipper of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and a sports figure, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The athlete was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him included “promoting decay on Earth through arson and damage of public property”. His verdict has been annulled multiple times but on 4 October it was maintained on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was condemned as “deeply biased” by advocates and groups.

Call to UN

The call to stop the boxer's capital punishment is subsequent to a earlier letter to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, endorsed by in excess of one hundred human rights experts and organizations, urging action to stop the competitor's death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

As per findings, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has reached alarming levels”. In 2023, authorities executed at least over 850 people – a 48% rise on the previous year. In the prior period, data showed nearly a thousand executions, representing the maximum count since 2015. More than hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and protesters are targets, especially in the wake of the 2022 uprising. Analysts say the government have employed the death penalty to quell protest, instil fear among the citizenry and reinforce their grip on rule.