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Over twenty Olympic champions, trainers and other world-class competitors have signed a appeal urging a end to the death penalty of a boxing champion and instructor, who is facing execution in Iran.

Growing Worldwide Condemnation

During growing global condemnation over Iran’s escalating use of the death penalty as a instrument of suppression, the forcefully phrased statement condemns the authorities's decision to uphold the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northern province, was detained for being involved in national uprisings in two thousand nineteen and accused of supporting an resistance movement. He has endured five years in detention, where he has been abused and confined in seclusion.

“Athletics is intended to encourage faith, togetherness, and bravery,” the signatories stated. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his beliefs is a clear violation on these ideals and a admonition to any competitor who ventures to voice opinions.

Pattern of Executing Competitors

The statement noted that Vafaei Sani’s situation was not an isolated one and underscored Iran’s record of executing athletes for their beliefs, including a football captain, leader of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, was put to death.

Further supporters to the statement consist of a yachting pioneer, who led the inaugural all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the initial female to earn a prestigious nautical honor; the ex- skipper of the national squad a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The athlete was detained in March 2020. The charges against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and damage of government belongings”. His sentence has been reversed on two occasions but on October 4 it was upheld on the third attempt. His court case was denounced as “grossly unfair” by rights defenders and bodies.

Call to United Nations

The call to stop the athlete's death sentence comes after a 2023 appeal to the global human rights chief for rights, signed by over 100 rights specialists and groups, urging action to stop the athlete’s execution.

Execution Crisis

Based on data, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has reached shocking dimensions”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a nearly half surge on 2022. The year before, data showed 972 capital punishments, constituting the maximum count since the year 2015. Over 800 people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are targets, especially in the aftermath of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Experts say the Iranian authorities have utilized the death penalty to quell opposition, instil apprehension among the citizenry and tighten their control on power.