🔗 Share this article

Over 20 Olympic champions, coaches and other international athletes have put their names to a letter urging a stop to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is facing execution in the country.

Growing Worldwide Condemnation

Amidst rising international outrage over the nation's escalating use of executions as a means of suppression, the strongly worded letter denounces the Iranian regime's ruling to uphold the capital punishment of the athlete.

The boxer, three decades old, from the city in the northern province, was arrested for participating in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and indicted of supporting an opposition group. He has spent half a decade in prison, where he has been mistreated and kept in solitary confinement.

“Competition is designed to inspire faith, unity, and bravery,” the signatories wrote. “The execution of a winner for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a admonition to every athlete who ventures to speak out.

History of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The letter noted that the athlete's situation was not an isolated one and emphasized Iran’s record of sentencing to death athletes for their convictions, including a football captain, captain of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, an athlete, a young Iranian competitor, faced the death penalty.

Additional supporters to the letter consist of Tracy Edwards, who captained the pioneering female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the pioneering lady to earn a esteemed yachting trophy; the previous skipper of the national squad an athlete; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Detention and Flawed Legal Process

The boxer was detained in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through arson and damage of state assets”. His verdict has been annulled on two occasions but on October 4 it was upheld on the latest review. His legal proceedings was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and bodies.

Urging to UN

The appeal to prevent Vafaei Sani’s death sentence follows a previous letter to the UN high commissioner for human rights, signed by in excess of a hundred human rights experts and entities, urging measures to avert the athlete’s execution.

Execution Crisis

As per reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has achieved horrific levels”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government executed at least over 850 people – a nearly half surge on 2022. The year before, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, constituting the highest number since two thousand fifteen. Over hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are targets, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022's protests. Experts say the regime have utilized the death penalty to stifle opposition, generate fear among the population and reinforce their grip on rule.