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Over 20 Olympic medallists, coaches and further international athletes have put their names to a appeal urging a end to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is facing execution in Iran.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

During increasing global condemnation over the nation's escalating use of the death penalty as a means of suppression, the powerfully expressed statement condemns the Iranian regime's ruling to uphold the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, thirty, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was detained for being involved in national uprisings in the year 2019 and indicted of supporting an resistance movement. He has spent 60 months in detention, where he has been tortured and held in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is intended to encourage optimism, togetherness, and courage,” the supporters stated. “The capital punishment of a winner for his opinions is a direct assault on these values and a caution to any competitor who ventures to voice opinions.

Pattern of Killing Athletes

The statement noted that Vafaei Sani’s case was not an isolated one and underscored the country's record of executing competitors for their beliefs, for example Habib Khabiri, captain of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, captain of the female volleyball side. In two thousand twenty, a wrestling champion, a young national sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Further signatories to the statement comprise a yachting pioneer, who captained the first all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the pioneering lady to earn a esteemed yachting trophy; the former leader of the soccer side an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

Vafaei Sani was detained in March 2020. The accusations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned on two occasions but on October 4 it was upheld on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was condemned as “deeply biased” by advocates and bodies.

Call to United Nations

The appeal to stop the boxer's capital punishment comes after a previous letter to the global human rights chief for rights, signed by in excess of a hundred advocates and groups, urging measures to avert the competitor's execution.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the nation, which has reached alarming levels”. In 2023, the government executed at least 853 people – a nearly half rise on 2022. In the prior period, data showed 972 capital punishments, marking the highest number since two thousand fifteen. Over 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and opponents are focus, notably in the wake of the 2022's uprising. Specialists say the government have utilized the executions to stifle protest, create anxiety among the public and tighten their control on rule.