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Over 20 Olympic champions, trainers and further world-class competitors have put their names to a appeal calling for a stop to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and trainer, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

Amid growing international outrage over the country's escalating use of executions as a instrument of repression, the strongly worded letter condemns the government's ruling to confirm the execution order of the boxing champion.

The boxer, thirty, from Mashhad in the northern province, was arrested for being involved in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and charged of supporting an resistance movement. He has passed 60 months in incarceration, where he has been tortured and held in isolation.

“Competition is designed to promote optimism, togetherness, and courage,” the signatories expressed. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his opinions is a clear violation on these ideals and a admonition to every athlete who attempts to speak out.

Pattern of Killing Sports Figures

The statement pointed out that the athlete's circumstances was not unique and underscored the nation's record of putting to death sports champions for their views, for example Habib Khabiri, leader of the national football team, and a women's sports leader, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, a wrestling champion, a 27-year national wrestling champion, was put to death.

Other signatories to the appeal include a sailing champion, who captained the inaugural women's squad in a international sailing event and was the first woman to receive a esteemed sailing award; the previous skipper of the national squad a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and damage of state assets”. His sentence has been annulled multiple times but on 4 October it was maintained on the latest review. His court case was condemned as “grossly unfair” by human rights activists and bodies.

Call to United Nations

The call to prevent Vafaei Sani’s capital punishment comes after a 2023 appeal to the global human rights chief for freedoms, backed by over one hundred human rights experts and entities, demanding action to stop the athlete’s execution.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to findings, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has reached shocking proportions”. In 2023, the government put to death at least over 850 people – a nearly half rise on 2022. In the prior period, statistics showed nearly a thousand executions, constituting the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. More than eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Activists and opponents are victims, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 protests. Analysts say the regime have employed the death penalty to suppress dissent, instil fear among the citizenry and tighten their grip on authority.