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In excess of twenty Olympic medal winners, trainers and other international athletes have endorsed a letter urging a stop to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is facing execution in Iran.

Growing International Outrage

During growing international outrage over the nation's expanding employment of capital punishment as a instrument of repression, the powerfully expressed appeal denounces the government's verdict to confirm the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

Vafaei Sani, thirty, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was detained for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and indicted of aiding an resistance movement. He has endured 60 months in prison, where he has been abused and confined in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is designed to promote hope, togetherness, and fortitude,” the signatories stated. “The execution of a winner for his opinions is a blatant attack on these values and a admonition to every athlete who attempts to voice opinions.

History of Killing Sports Figures

The letter said that the athlete's case was not an isolated one and emphasized the country's past of putting to death competitors for their views, for example Habib Khabiri, captain of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, skipper of the national women’s volleyball team. In the year 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year national competitor, faced the death penalty.

Other supporters to the letter consist of a sailing champion, who led the first women's squad in a global yacht race and was the first woman to earn a esteemed yachting trophy; the ex- captain of the soccer side a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was detained in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of public property”. His sentence has been annulled on two occasions but on October 4 it was upheld on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was condemned as “highly unjust” by advocates and organizations.

Urging to International Body

The call to stop Vafaei Sani’s capital punishment follows a 2023 letter to the global human rights chief for freedoms, endorsed by over a hundred advocates and groups, demanding measures to avert the sports figure's execution.

Death Penalty Surge

According to data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has attained alarming levels”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government executed at least 853 people – a 48% rise on the previous year. The year before, data showed 972 deaths, marking the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. Over eight hundred people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Dissidents and protesters are victims, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 demonstrations. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have employed the capital punishment to suppress opposition, instil anxiety among the citizenry and strengthen their control on authority.