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In excess of 20 Olympic medallists, coaches and other world-class competitors have put their names to a letter calling for a end to the death penalty of a champion boxer and coach, who is facing execution in the nation.

Escalating Worldwide Condemnation

During increasing worldwide anger over the country's escalating use of executions as a means of suppression, the powerfully expressed statement condemns the Iranian regime's ruling to confirm the death sentence of the boxing champion.

The athlete, 30, from Mashhad in the northern province, was detained for taking part in national uprisings in the year 2019 and indicted of supporting an dissident organization. He has spent five years in incarceration, where he has been tortured and held in seclusion.

“Competition is intended to encourage hope, solidarity, and fortitude,” the endorsers wrote. “The execution of a winner for his political views is a blatant attack on these values and a caution to all sportspeople who attempts to express dissent.

History of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The letter said that Vafaei Sani’s case was not an isolated one and highlighted the nation's record of sentencing to death competitors for their convictions, such as Habib Khabiri, skipper of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In the year 2020, an athlete, a young national wrestling champion, was also executed.

Other endorsers to the letter comprise a yachting pioneer, who skippered the inaugural female-only team in a global yacht race and was the initial female to earn a renowned yachting trophy; the previous skipper of the national squad Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Unfair Trial

The boxer was taken into custody in March 2020. The accusations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of state assets”. His ruling has been annulled twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the third occasion. His court case was denounced as “highly unjust” by advocates and bodies.

Call to UN

The urging to halt Vafaei Sani’s death sentence follows a previous statement to the UN high commissioner for rights, signed by over a hundred rights specialists and groups, urging action to stop the athlete’s execution.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on findings, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has achieved alarming proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government put to death at least 853 people – a nearly half rise on 2022. In the prior period, records showed 972 capital punishments, constituting the highest number since the year 2015. Over hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and opponents are targets, notably in the wake of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have employed the capital punishment to stifle dissent, instil apprehension among the citizenry and reinforce their grip on rule.