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More than 20 Olympic medal winners, mentors and further international athletes have endorsed a statement urging a end to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is on death row in the country.

Increasing International Outrage

During increasing global condemnation over the country's expanding employment of executions as a means of suppression, the powerfully expressed statement condemns the government's ruling to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from the city in north-east Iran, was arrested for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and accused of aiding an dissident organization. He has endured 60 months in prison, where he has been tortured and held in isolation.

“Athletics is designed to inspire hope, togetherness, and courage,” the supporters stated. “The execution of a winner for his beliefs is a direct assault on these values and a admonition to any competitor who ventures to speak out.

Pattern of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The letter pointed out that the athlete's circumstances was not an isolated one and underscored the country's past of executing sports champions for their convictions, for example Habib Khabiri, captain of the soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, an athlete, a young Iranian wrestling champion, was put to death.

Further endorsers to the statement comprise a yachting pioneer, who led the pioneering female-only team in a international sailing event and was the first woman to be awarded a esteemed nautical honor; the former leader of the national squad a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was arrested in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of state assets”. His ruling has been reversed on two occasions but on October 4 it was confirmed on the third attempt. His trial was condemned as “deeply biased” by advocates and bodies.

Call to International Body

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

Death Penalty Surge

Based on reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has attained horrific levels”. In two thousand twenty-three, authorities put to death at least over 850 people – a nearly half increase on the previous year. The year before, records showed nearly a thousand deaths, representing the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. Over eight hundred people have been sentenced so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and opponents are focus, notably in the aftermath of the 2022 demonstrations. Analysts say the Iranian authorities have used the executions to suppress dissent, create fear among the population and tighten their grip on rule.