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In excess of 20 Olympic medallists, coaches and other international athletes have put their names to a statement calling for a end to the death penalty of a boxing champion and trainer, who is facing execution in Iran.

Increasing International Outrage

During growing worldwide anger over Iran’s increasing application of the death penalty as a instrument of repression, the powerfully expressed statement censures the government's decision to maintain the death sentence of the boxing champion.

The boxer, thirty, from Mashhad in the northern province, was arrested for being involved in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and accused of aiding an resistance movement. He has endured half a decade in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and kept in seclusion.

“Athletics is meant to inspire optimism, togetherness, and bravery,” the signatories stated. “The death penalty of a champion for his political views is a clear violation on these ideals and a warning to all sportspeople who ventures to voice opinions.

Record of Executing Competitors

The letter said that the athlete's circumstances was not an isolated one and emphasized the country's history of sentencing to death athletes for their views, such as a national team leader, skipper of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year Iranian wrestling champion, faced the death penalty.

Other endorsers to the letter consist of Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first female-only team in a global yacht race and was the pioneering lady to earn a renowned yachting trophy; the ex- skipper of the soccer side a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was taken into custody in early 2020. The accusations against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of state assets”. His sentence has been overturned twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the third occasion. His court case was criticized as “deeply biased” by advocates and groups.

Call to United Nations

The call to stop Vafaei Sani’s execution is subsequent to a previous appeal to the global human rights chief for freedoms, endorsed by in excess of 100 advocates and groups, calling for action to stop the athlete’s death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on data, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has reached shocking proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government executed at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent surge on the previous year. Last year, records showed nine hundred seventy-two capital punishments, marking the peak figure since the year 2015. In excess of hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Activists and protesters are focus, notably in the aftermath of the the year 2022 uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have employed the capital punishment to suppress opposition, instil fear among the public and reinforce their grip on power.