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More than 20 Olympic medallists, coaches and further world-class competitors have endorsed a appeal demanding a stop to the death penalty of a champion boxer and coach, who is facing execution in Iran.

Increasing International Outrage

Amid growing international outrage over the country's increasing application of capital punishment as a tool of oppression, the forcefully phrased statement denounces the Iranian regime's verdict to confirm the execution order of the athlete.

The boxer, three decades old, from the city in the northern province, was detained for being involved in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and accused of aiding an dissident organization. He has endured five years in detention, where he has been mistreated and kept in isolation.

“Competition is intended to promote faith, togetherness, and courage,” the endorsers wrote. “The death penalty of a winner for his political views is a clear violation on these ideals and a warning to any competitor who attempts to speak out.

Pattern of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The statement said that the athlete's circumstances was not unique and highlighted the country's past of executing competitors for their views, for example Habib Khabiri, skipper of the soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, an athlete, a young Iranian competitor, was put to death.

Other signatories to the appeal include a yachting pioneer, who captained the first all-female crew in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to earn a esteemed nautical honor; the previous captain of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Unjust Proceedings

Vafaei Sani was taken into custody in March 2020. The accusations against him comprised “causing deterioration on Earth through arson and damage of public property”. His verdict has been annulled twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the third occasion. His court case was criticized as “deeply biased” by advocates and bodies.

Urging to UN

The appeal to prevent the boxer's capital punishment follows a earlier statement to the United Nations official for rights, backed by over 100 advocates and entities, calling for measures to prevent the competitor's capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on reports, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has attained shocking dimensions”. In the year 2023, officials sentenced at least over 850 people – a nearly half rise on the previous year. Last year, data showed nearly a thousand deaths, constituting the highest number since the year 2015. More than 800 people have been executed so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and dissidents are targets, notably in the aftermath of the the year 2022 protests. Analysts say the Iranian authorities have utilized the death penalty to suppress dissent, create fear among the citizenry and reinforce their hold on authority.