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More than two dozen Olympic medallists, mentors and further international athletes have endorsed a letter demanding a stop to the execution of a champion boxer and instructor, who is on death row in the country.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

During increasing worldwide anger over the country's increasing application of the death penalty as a means of oppression, the powerfully expressed statement condemns the Iranian regime's ruling to confirm the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, 30, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was arrested for participating in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and accused of supporting an opposition group. He has endured half a decade in detention, where he has been tortured and confined in isolation.

“Competition is meant to encourage hope, unity, and fortitude,” the supporters wrote. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his beliefs is a direct assault on these values and a admonition to every athlete who ventures to speak out.

Pattern of Executing Sports Figures

The letter said that the athlete's case was part of a pattern and highlighted the nation's record of putting to death athletes for their views, including a football captain, leader of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the female volleyball side. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a young national sports titleholder, was put to death.

Further signatories to the statement consist of a sailing champion, who captained the first female-only team in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to earn a esteemed sailing award; the former captain of the Australian football team an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Unfair Trial

The boxer was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and damage of government belongings”. His sentence has been annulled multiple times but on 4 October it was maintained on the latest review. His legal proceedings was condemned as “highly unjust” by advocates and bodies.

Call to International Body

The appeal to stop the boxer's execution follows a previous letter to the global human rights chief for human rights, backed by in excess of one hundred rights specialists and organizations, urging action to avert the athlete’s execution.

Death Penalty Surge

According to reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has reached shocking dimensions”. In the year 2023, the government sentenced at least 853 people – a 48% rise on 2022. Last year, statistics showed nearly a thousand executions, constituting the maximum count since 2015. Over eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are victims, particularly in the wake of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Analysts say the government have used the death penalty to quell dissent, generate apprehension among the population and reinforce their hold on power.