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Over two dozen Olympic medallists, mentors and further world-class competitors have put their names to a appeal calling for a end to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and coach, who is sentenced to die in the nation.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

During increasing international outrage over the nation's expanding employment of capital punishment as a tool of suppression, the forcefully phrased appeal censures the Iranian regime's verdict to maintain the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, thirty, from the city in the northeastern region, was detained for taking part in nationwide protests in the year 2019 and charged of aiding an dissident organization. He has spent 60 months in prison, where he has been mistreated and confined in solitary confinement.

“Sport is meant to promote hope, solidarity, and fortitude,” the supporters wrote. “The execution of a champion for his opinions is a clear violation on these values and a caution to all sportspeople who dares to speak out.

Pattern of Killing Sports Figures

The appeal pointed out that the boxer's situation was not an isolated one and emphasized the nation's past of executing competitors for their convictions, including a football captain, captain of the soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a young national sports titleholder, was also executed.

Other signatories to the letter consist of a yachting pioneer, who captained the first female-only team in a international sailing event and was the first woman to be awarded a prestigious sailing award; the ex- leader of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the international competition.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The athlete was detained in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him comprised “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and damage of government belongings”. His verdict has been reversed on two occasions but on the fourth of October it was maintained on the latest review. His court case was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and groups.

Appeal to International Body

The appeal to prevent the boxer's capital punishment follows a earlier appeal to the global human rights chief for human rights, backed by more than a hundred advocates and groups, urging action to avert the athlete’s death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to findings, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has reached alarming levels”. In the year 2023, authorities executed at least 853 people – a forty-eight percent surge on 2022. In the prior period, statistics showed nearly a thousand capital punishments, constituting the maximum count since 2015. More than eight hundred people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and dissidents are targets, especially in the aftermath of the 2022's uprising. Analysts say the regime have utilized the death penalty to quell opposition, instil apprehension among the public and reinforce their grip on power.