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Over two dozen Olympic medal winners, trainers and other global sports figures have endorsed a appeal urging a halt to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Escalating Worldwide Condemnation

Amid rising global condemnation over the nation's escalating use of executions as a means of oppression, the strongly worded statement censures the Iranian regime's ruling to confirm the capital punishment of the boxing champion.

The athlete, 30, from Mashhad in the northern province, was detained for taking part in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and indicted of aiding an dissident organization. He has passed half a decade in detention, where he has been tortured and held in isolation.

“Sport is intended to inspire optimism, solidarity, and fortitude,” the supporters stated. “The death penalty of a winner for his political views is a clear violation on these values and a caution to any competitor who attempts to speak out.

History of Putting to Death Competitors

The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s situation was not an isolated one and highlighted the country's past of putting to death competitors for their convictions, for example Habib Khabiri, skipper of the soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, a wrestling champion, a young national competitor, was put to death.

Additional signatories to the letter consist of a sailing champion, who skippered the first all-female crew in a round-the-world competition and was the initial female to receive a esteemed nautical honor; the former captain of the Australian football team an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The athlete was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and damage of state assets”. His sentence has been reversed twice but on the fourth of October it was upheld on the third attempt. His court case was criticized as “grossly unfair” by rights defenders and bodies.

Appeal to UN

The appeal to stop the boxer's capital punishment comes after a 2023 appeal to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, signed by in excess of 100 rights specialists and organizations, calling for measures to prevent the athlete’s capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has achieved shocking proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, authorities executed at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a nearly half surge on the previous year. In the prior period, data showed nine hundred seventy-two capital punishments, marking the peak figure since the year 2015. More than hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Activists and opponents are victims, notably in the wake of the 2022's protests. Analysts say the regime have used the capital punishment to stifle protest, instil anxiety among the public and tighten their control on power.