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Over two dozen Olympic champions, coaches and further international athletes have endorsed a appeal demanding a halt to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and coach, who is on death row in the country.

Growing Worldwide Condemnation

Amidst growing international outrage over the country's expanding employment of the death penalty as a tool of repression, the forcefully phrased statement condemns the authorities's verdict to maintain the death sentence of the boxing champion.

The boxer, 30, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was detained for participating in national uprisings in two thousand nineteen and indicted of supporting an dissident organization. He has spent five years in detention, where he has been mistreated and held in isolation.

“Competition is intended to encourage optimism, unity, and fortitude,” the endorsers wrote. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his opinions is a blatant attack on these principles and a caution to any competitor who ventures to speak out.

Pattern of Executing Competitors

The appeal said that the boxer's case was not unique and emphasized the nation's past of putting to death sports champions for their beliefs, such as a football captain, skipper of the football side, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In two thousand twenty, a wrestling champion, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Other supporters to the statement consist of a yachting pioneer, who skippered the pioneering women's squad in a round-the-world competition and was the pioneering lady to receive a renowned sailing award; the former captain of the soccer side Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the Iranian squad for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was arrested in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him included “promoting decay on Earth through arson and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned on two occasions but on October 4 it was upheld on the latest review. His legal proceedings was criticized as “deeply biased” by advocates and organizations.

Call to United Nations

The call to halt Vafaei Sani’s death sentence comes after a previous statement to the global human rights chief for human rights, signed by more than 100 human rights experts and entities, urging measures to avert the competitor's death.

Death Penalty Surge

According to reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has attained horrific proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, authorities put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a forty-eight percent surge on 2022. In the prior period, records showed 972 executions, marking the highest number since 2015. Over 800 people have been executed so far in 2025.

Activists and dissidents are targets, notably in the wake of the 2022 protests. Experts say the regime have used the death penalty to quell opposition, generate fear among the citizenry and tighten their hold on authority.