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Over 20 Olympic medal winners, coaches and additional international athletes have put their names to a statement demanding a halt to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is on death row in the country.

Escalating International Outrage

Amidst increasing international outrage over the nation's expanding employment of executions as a instrument of repression, the forcefully phrased letter condemns the authorities's verdict to confirm the death sentence of the athlete.

Vafaei Sani, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northern province, was taken into custody for participating in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and accused of supporting an opposition group. He has endured 60 months in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and held in isolation.

“Sport is intended to promote hope, solidarity, and courage,” the endorsers stated. “The capital punishment of a champion for his beliefs is a direct assault on these principles and a caution to any competitor who dares to voice opinions.

Pattern of Putting to Death Athletes

The appeal pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s situation was not unique and underscored the nation's record of executing athletes for their beliefs, such as a football captain, skipper of the soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, skipper of the female volleyball side. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a young Iranian competitor, was also executed.

Further signatories to the statement include a sailing champion, who skippered the first female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to receive a renowned sailing award; the former captain of the national squad a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The boxer was detained in early 2020. The accusations against him comprised “causing deterioration on Earth through arson and damage of government belongings”. His ruling has been reversed multiple times but on 4 October it was confirmed on the latest review. His court case was condemned as “highly unjust” by advocates and organizations.

Urging to UN

The appeal to prevent Vafaei Sani’s death sentence comes after a 2023 statement to the global human rights chief for freedoms, signed by in excess of 100 human rights experts and organizations, calling for measures to avert the competitor's execution.

Capital Punishment Escalation

As per reports, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has reached shocking levels”. In 2023, officials put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a nearly half surge on 2022. In the prior period, statistics showed nearly a thousand deaths, constituting the maximum count since the year 2015. More than hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and protesters are targets, especially in the wake of the 2022's uprising. Experts say the Iranian authorities have employed the executions to stifle protest, instil anxiety among the citizenry and tighten their hold on power.