🔗 Share this article Olympians Appeal on Iran to Stop Death Sentence of Champion Boxer Over two dozen Olympic medallists, mentors and additional international athletes have put their names to a letter demanding a stop to the execution of a boxing champion and trainer, who is facing execution in the country. Growing International Outrage Amidst growing global condemnation over Iran’s escalating use of the death penalty as a tool of repression, the forcefully phrased letter censures the authorities's ruling to maintain the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani. The athlete, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was taken into custody for being involved in national uprisings in the year 2019 and indicted of aiding an resistance movement. He has spent five years in incarceration, where he has been tortured and held in isolation. “Athletics is meant to promote optimism, unity, and bravery,” the supporters wrote. “The capital punishment of a champion for his opinions is a blatant attack on these values and a warning to every athlete who attempts to speak out. Record of Executing Sports Figures The letter pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s case was not unique and highlighted the country's history of putting to death athletes for their beliefs, including a football captain, captain of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a young Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty. Additional endorsers to the letter include Tracy Edwards, who captained the pioneering women's squad in a global yacht race and was the initial female to receive a esteemed yachting trophy; the former captain of the national squad a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the international competition. Arrest and Flawed Legal Process The boxer was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and damage of public property”. His sentence has been reversed on two occasions but on October 4 it was maintained on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was criticized as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and bodies. Urging to United Nations The urging to stop Vafaei Sani’s death sentence comes after a earlier appeal to the United Nations official for freedoms, backed by over a hundred human rights experts and organizations, demanding measures to stop the sports figure's execution. Execution Crisis Based on findings, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has achieved alarming dimensions”. In 2023, the government sentenced at least over 850 people – a nearly half rise on 2022. Last year, data showed nearly a thousand capital punishments, representing the peak figure since 2015. In excess of 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025. Political prisoners and opponents are victims, particularly in the aftermath of the the year 2022 protests. Analysts say the government have utilized the death penalty to stifle dissent, generate fear among the citizenry and tighten their grip on power.