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Over two dozen Olympic medal winners, trainers and further global sports figures have signed a appeal urging a stop to the execution of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is on death row in Iran.

Increasing International Outrage

Amidst growing global condemnation over the nation's escalating use of the death penalty as a tool of suppression, the forcefully phrased appeal censures the government's ruling to confirm the death sentence of the athlete.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from Mashhad in the northern province, was taken into custody for participating in national uprisings in the year 2019 and accused of supporting an resistance movement. He has passed half a decade in incarceration, where he has been tortured and kept in seclusion.

“Athletics is intended to encourage faith, solidarity, and bravery,” the supporters stated. “The capital punishment of a titleholder for his opinions is a blatant attack on these ideals and a admonition to all sportspeople who dares to speak out.

History of Killing Sports Figures

The letter said that the boxer's situation was not an isolated one and underscored Iran’s record of putting to death competitors for their convictions, such as Habib Khabiri, captain of the soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the female volleyball side. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year-old Iranian competitor, was also executed.

Further supporters to the letter consist of a sailing champion, who captained the pioneering all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the first woman to receive a esteemed sailing award; the former leader of the soccer side an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the Iranian squad for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him included “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and destruction of state assets”. His ruling has been overturned multiple times but on the fourth of October it was upheld on the latest review. His court case was criticized as “deeply biased” by human rights activists and bodies.

Urging to United Nations

The urging to stop the boxer's capital punishment follows a 2023 appeal to the UN high commissioner for human rights, signed by over one hundred rights specialists and entities, calling for action to prevent the sports figure's capital punishment.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to data, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has reached horrific proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government sentenced at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a 48% increase on the previous year. In the prior period, data showed 972 deaths, representing the highest number since the year 2015. Over hundreds of people have been put to death so far in the current year.

Activists and dissidents are targets, especially in the aftermath of the the year 2022 uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have utilized the death penalty to quell dissent, generate apprehension among the citizenry and reinforce their control on authority.