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Over 20 Olympic medallists, trainers and additional international athletes have put their names to a statement calling for a stop to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is on death row in the nation.

Increasing International Outrage

During increasing worldwide anger over the country's escalating use of the death penalty as a tool of oppression, the strongly worded statement condemns the authorities's ruling to confirm the death sentence of the athlete.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northeastern region, was arrested for taking part in national uprisings in two thousand nineteen and charged of supporting an opposition group. He has spent five years in incarceration, where he has been abused and kept in isolation.

“Athletics is intended to promote faith, unity, and courage,” the signatories stated. “The death penalty of a champion for his opinions is a blatant attack on these principles and a warning to every athlete who dares to speak out.

Pattern of Putting to Death Competitors

The letter said that Vafaei Sani’s case was not unique and highlighted the nation's record of executing athletes for their convictions, such as a football captain, captain of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year national sports titleholder, was put to death.

Other signatories to the letter include a sailing champion, who captained the inaugural women's squad in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to receive a esteemed nautical honor; the ex- leader of the soccer side an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the Iranian squad for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

The boxer was taken into custody in March 2020. The charges against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through arson and destruction of government belongings”. His ruling has been annulled multiple times but on the fourth of October it was confirmed on the latest review. His court case was denounced as “deeply biased” by advocates and organizations.

Urging to United Nations

The urging to halt Vafaei Sani’s execution follows a previous appeal to the United Nations official for human rights, signed by over one hundred human rights experts and organizations, urging intervention to avert the competitor's death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has reached shocking proportions”. In 2023, authorities executed at least 853 people – a nearly half rise on 2022. Last year, data showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, marking the maximum count since the year 2015. Over 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Activists and dissidents are targets, notably in the wake of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have utilized the executions to suppress opposition, create anxiety among the public and strengthen their hold on authority.