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In excess of twenty Olympic champions, trainers and additional world-class competitors have put their names to a statement demanding a end to the execution of a boxing champion and instructor, who is on death row in the country.

Escalating Global Anger

Amid increasing worldwide anger over the country's expanding employment of capital punishment as a means of repression, the strongly worded letter condemns the government's ruling to maintain the death sentence of the athlete.

The athlete, thirty, from Mashhad in the northern province, was detained for participating in national uprisings in 2019 and charged of backing an resistance movement. He has endured five years in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and confined in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is intended to encourage faith, unity, and fortitude,” the supporters stated. “The execution of a champion for his political views is a direct assault on these principles and a warning to any competitor who ventures to voice opinions.

Pattern of Executing Athletes

The appeal pointed out that the boxer's situation was not unique and emphasized Iran’s history of executing sports champions for their views, such as a football captain, captain of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, an athlete, a young national wrestling champion, was also executed.

Other endorsers to the letter comprise a yachting pioneer, who skippered the inaugural all-female crew in a round-the-world competition and was the pioneering lady to earn a prestigious yachting trophy; the former leader of the Australian football team an athlete; and a sports figure, who was in the Iranian squad for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was arrested in March 2020. The allegations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and destruction of public property”. His verdict has been annulled twice but on the fourth of October it was confirmed on the third attempt. His court case was criticized as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and groups.

Call to International Body

The call to prevent Vafaei Sani’s capital punishment comes after a previous appeal to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, endorsed by over a hundred human rights experts and entities, urging intervention to prevent the sports figure's death.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on findings, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the nation, which has reached alarming levels”. In two thousand twenty-three, officials put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a nearly half rise on 2022. Last year, data showed nearly a thousand capital punishments, marking the peak figure since the year 2015. In excess of eight hundred people have been put to death so far in the current year.

Activists and dissidents are focus, particularly in the wake of the 2022's protests. Specialists say the government have employed the capital punishment to suppress opposition, create fear among the public and strengthen their control on authority.