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More than 20 Olympic medal winners, mentors and other world-class competitors have endorsed a letter calling for a stop to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is facing execution in the country.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

Amid increasing international outrage over the country's increasing application of the death penalty as a means of suppression, the strongly worded statement condemns the government's decision to maintain the execution order of the athlete.

The athlete, three decades old, from the city in the northern province, was taken into custody for taking part in national uprisings in 2019 and charged of backing an opposition group. He has endured 60 months in prison, where he has been mistreated and confined in solitary confinement.

“Sport is meant to promote optimism, solidarity, and bravery,” the endorsers stated. “The death penalty of a champion for his opinions is a blatant attack on these ideals and a warning to any competitor who attempts to speak out.

History of Executing Athletes

The appeal said that the boxer's circumstances was not an isolated one and highlighted the nation's record of sentencing to death athletes for their convictions, including a national team leader, skipper of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, skipper of the female volleyball side. In the year 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old national wrestling champion, was also executed.

Further signatories to the statement consist of a sailing champion, who captained the inaugural female-only team in a international sailing event and was the initial female to be awarded a renowned sailing award; the ex- captain of the soccer side an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Detention and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was arrested in early 2020. The accusations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and damage of public property”. His sentence has been overturned on two occasions but on October 4 it was confirmed on the latest review. His trial was denounced as “deeply biased” by rights defenders and bodies.

Urging to International Body

The urging to stop the athlete's capital punishment is subsequent to a previous letter to the United Nations official for human rights, backed by over 100 human rights experts and entities, demanding action to prevent the competitor's capital punishment.

Capital Punishment Escalation

As per data, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has reached horrific levels”. In the year 2023, the government executed at least over 850 people – a 48% increase on the previous year. Last year, data showed 972 executions, marking the maximum count since 2015. More than 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Activists and opponents are targets, especially in the aftermath of the the year 2022 uprising. Analysts say the Iranian authorities have used the executions to quell opposition, generate apprehension among the population and strengthen their control on rule.