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Over twenty Olympic champions, mentors and additional international athletes have signed a appeal urging a stop to the execution of a boxing champion and instructor, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Increasing International Outrage

Amidst increasing worldwide anger over the country's increasing application of capital punishment as a instrument of oppression, the strongly worded statement censures the authorities's decision to confirm the capital punishment of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, thirty, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was taken into custody for taking part in nationwide protests in 2019 and charged of supporting an opposition group. He has spent 60 months in detention, where he has been mistreated and confined in seclusion.

“Sport is meant to promote faith, unity, and courage,” the signatories stated. “The capital punishment of a winner for his beliefs is a clear violation on these ideals and a warning to all sportspeople who ventures to voice opinions.

History of Executing Athletes

The statement noted that the athlete's situation was not unique and highlighted the nation's past of sentencing to death athletes for their beliefs, such as a national team leader, skipper of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian wrestling champion, was put to death.

Further signatories to the letter comprise a yachting pioneer, who led the first all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the initial female to earn a esteemed sailing award; the ex- skipper of the national squad a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Detention and Unfair Trial

The athlete was arrested in early 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and damage of state assets”. His sentence has been annulled twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was condemned as “grossly unfair” by rights defenders and bodies.

Call to United Nations

The call to halt the boxer's capital punishment is subsequent to a 2023 letter to the United Nations official for rights, backed by more than one hundred human rights experts and groups, calling for intervention to prevent the athlete’s death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

As per reports, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has reached alarming levels”. In 2023, authorities sentenced at least over 850 people – a nearly half rise on the previous year. In the prior period, records showed 972 deaths, representing the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. More than eight hundred people have been put to death so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and protesters are targets, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 protests. Experts say the government have employed the executions to stifle protest, instil anxiety among the population and tighten their hold on authority.