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In excess of twenty Olympic medallists, trainers and other international athletes have endorsed a statement calling for a stop to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and coach, who is on death row in Iran.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

Amidst rising international outrage over Iran’s escalating use of executions as a means of oppression, the powerfully expressed letter condemns the Iranian regime's decision to confirm the capital punishment of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northern province, was detained for taking part in nationwide protests in the year 2019 and indicted of backing an opposition group. He has passed 60 months in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and confined in isolation.

“Sport is intended to promote hope, solidarity, and bravery,” the signatories expressed. “The death penalty of a champion for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a warning to every athlete who dares to voice opinions.

History of Killing Sports Figures

The statement pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s case was part of a pattern and emphasized the country's history of executing athletes for their views, such as a football captain, leader of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, leader of the female volleyball side. In two thousand twenty, a wrestling champion, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, was also executed.

Additional supporters to the appeal include a sailing champion, who skippered the pioneering all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to earn a renowned nautical honor; the ex- leader of the national squad Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Flawed Legal Process

Vafaei Sani was arrested in March 2020. The accusations against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through arson and ruin of public property”. His verdict has been annulled on two occasions but on the fourth of October it was upheld on the latest review. His legal proceedings was denounced as “deeply biased” by advocates and groups.

Call to UN

The appeal to stop Vafaei Sani’s execution comes after a earlier appeal to the United Nations official for human rights, endorsed by in excess of 100 advocates and entities, urging measures to avert the athlete’s capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

As per data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has attained horrific dimensions”. In the year 2023, officials put to death at least 853 people – a forty-eight percent increase on 2022. Last year, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, constituting the peak figure since 2015. In excess of eight hundred people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and opponents are focus, especially in the aftermath of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Experts say the regime have used the executions to quell dissent, instil apprehension among the population and strengthen their grip on authority.