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In excess of 20 Olympic medal winners, trainers and further international athletes have endorsed a appeal demanding a halt to the death penalty of a champion boxer and coach, who is on death row in the nation.

Increasing International Outrage

Amidst increasing international outrage over the nation's expanding employment of the death penalty as a tool of repression, the strongly worded statement condemns the authorities's ruling to confirm the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northern province, was detained for taking part in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and accused of backing an resistance movement. He has endured half a decade in detention, where he has been tortured and confined in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is intended to inspire hope, solidarity, and fortitude,” the signatories stated. “The capital punishment of a winner for his beliefs is a direct assault on these principles and a admonition to any competitor who ventures to speak out.

Pattern of Executing Athletes

The letter noted that the athlete's situation was not unique and underscored the country's record of putting to death competitors for their views, including a national team leader, leader of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the female volleyball side. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old national wrestling champion, faced the death penalty.

Other endorsers to the letter consist of a sailing champion, who skippered the inaugural all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the pioneering lady to be awarded a esteemed yachting trophy; the former leader of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The boxer was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and damage of government belongings”. His sentence has been annulled on two occasions but on October 4 it was upheld on the latest review. His court case was criticized as “highly unjust” by rights defenders and bodies.

Appeal to United Nations

The urging to halt Vafaei Sani’s death sentence comes after a previous appeal to the United Nations official for rights, endorsed by over 100 rights specialists and groups, urging intervention to stop the competitor's death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has achieved horrific proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, authorities executed at least 853 people – a nearly half surge on 2022. Last year, statistics showed 972 executions, representing the maximum count since the year 2015. Over 800 people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and protesters are targets, notably in the aftermath of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Specialists say the regime have employed the capital punishment to stifle dissent, create fear among the citizenry and strengthen their control on power.