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More than twenty Olympic champions, mentors and other international athletes have signed a letter urging a stop to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and trainer, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Growing International Outrage

Amidst rising global condemnation over the country's increasing application of the death penalty as a means of suppression, the forcefully phrased statement censures the authorities's ruling to maintain the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

Vafaei Sani, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northern province, was detained for participating in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and charged of aiding an dissident organization. He has passed 60 months in detention, where he has been tortured and confined in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is meant to inspire faith, togetherness, and fortitude,” the signatories wrote. “The death penalty of a winner for his political views is a clear violation on these values and a warning to any competitor who dares to express dissent.

History of Putting to Death Competitors

The letter said that the boxer's case was part of a pattern and highlighted Iran’s record of sentencing to death athletes for their beliefs, for example a football captain, leader of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year national competitor, faced the death penalty.

Additional endorsers to the appeal comprise a yachting pioneer, who skippered the inaugural female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the initial female to earn a prestigious yachting trophy; the former skipper of the soccer side Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him comprised “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of state assets”. His ruling has been annulled multiple times but on October 4 it was confirmed on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was criticized as “grossly unfair” by rights defenders and bodies.

Call to UN

The urging to stop the athlete's capital punishment follows a 2023 appeal to the United Nations official for freedoms, signed by over 100 advocates and organizations, calling for intervention to prevent the competitor's capital punishment.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on data, there is an “death penalty surge in the country, which has reached alarming dimensions”. In 2023, authorities executed at least over 850 people – a 48% surge on 2022. Last year, records showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, marking the peak figure since the year 2015. Over 800 people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and protesters are focus, especially in the aftermath of the 2022's protests. Experts say the regime have used the executions to quell opposition, generate apprehension among the public and reinforce their control on rule.