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In excess of two dozen Olympic medal winners, mentors and other international athletes have put their names to a statement urging a stop to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and instructor, who is on death row in the country.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

Amid increasing international outrage over the country's increasing application of executions as a means of oppression, the strongly worded letter denounces the government's ruling to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, thirty, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for taking part in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and accused of aiding an resistance movement. He has endured five years in prison, where he has been mistreated and kept in seclusion.

“Sport is intended to promote faith, unity, and bravery,” the signatories stated. “The execution of a winner for his political views is a blatant attack on these values and a warning to any competitor who attempts to voice opinions.

Record of Killing Sports Figures

The letter said that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was not unique and underscored Iran’s past of sentencing to death sports champions for their beliefs, for example a national team leader, skipper of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, skipper of the female volleyball side. In two thousand twenty, a wrestling champion, a 27-year-old national competitor, was put to death.

Other supporters to the statement include Tracy Edwards, who led the inaugural all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the pioneering lady to earn a esteemed nautical honor; the ex- leader of the national squad Craig Foster; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The athlete was detained in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and ruin of government belongings”. His sentence has been reversed multiple times but on October 4 it was upheld on the latest review. His legal proceedings was criticized as “highly unjust” by advocates and bodies.

Appeal to UN

The appeal to prevent the athlete's capital punishment comes after a previous letter to the global human rights chief for rights, signed by over 100 rights specialists and organizations, urging measures to stop the sports figure's capital punishment.

Capital Punishment Escalation

As per reports, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has reached horrific proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, authorities sentenced at least 853 people – a 48% rise on the previous year. Last year, data showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, constituting the peak figure since 2015. Over hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are targets, notably in the aftermath of the 2022 uprising. Analysts say the government have utilized the executions to stifle dissent, instil apprehension among the population and reinforce their control on rule.