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In excess of two dozen Olympic medallists, coaches and additional international athletes have endorsed a appeal urging a end to the death penalty of a boxing champion and coach, who is sentenced to die in the nation.

Increasing International Outrage

Amidst increasing global condemnation over Iran’s increasing application of the death penalty as a instrument of oppression, the powerfully expressed statement condemns the authorities's verdict to confirm the capital punishment of the athlete.

The boxer, three decades old, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for taking part in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and accused of aiding an opposition group. He has endured five years in detention, where he has been tortured and kept in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is intended to promote faith, solidarity, and bravery,” the signatories stated. “The capital punishment of a champion for his political views is a direct assault on these principles and a admonition to every athlete who ventures to express dissent.

History of Killing Athletes

The letter said that the athlete's case was not unique and emphasized the country's past of sentencing to death sports champions for their beliefs, such as Habib Khabiri, captain of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a young Iranian wrestling champion, was put to death.

Other endorsers to the statement include Tracy Edwards, who captained the first female-only team in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to be awarded a esteemed sailing award; the former skipper of the Australian football team an athlete; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Detention and Flawed Legal Process

Vafaei Sani was taken into custody in March 2020. The charges against him entailed “promoting decay on Earth through incendiarism and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the latest review. His legal proceedings was condemned as “deeply biased” by human rights activists and groups.

Urging to United Nations

The appeal to halt the boxer's capital punishment follows a 2023 statement to the UN high commissioner for rights, backed by in excess of a hundred rights specialists and organizations, urging intervention to avert the athlete’s capital punishment.

Execution Crisis

As per reports, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has reached alarming dimensions”. In 2023, the government executed at least 853 people – a 48% surge on the previous year. Last year, data showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, representing the maximum count since 2015. More than 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Activists and protesters are victims, especially in the aftermath of the 2022 uprising. Experts say the Iranian authorities have utilized the capital punishment to suppress protest, instil apprehension among the citizenry and reinforce their hold on authority.