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In excess of twenty Olympic medallists, mentors and other world-class competitors have endorsed a appeal calling for a halt to the execution of a champion boxer and trainer, who is on death row in Iran.

Increasing International Outrage

Amidst rising global condemnation over the country's increasing application of executions as a instrument of suppression, the powerfully expressed statement denounces the Iranian regime's decision to maintain the death sentence of the athlete.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from the city in the northern province, was taken into custody for being involved in nationwide protests in 2019 and indicted of aiding an dissident organization. He has passed half a decade in detention, where he has been mistreated and held in seclusion.

“Competition is meant to inspire hope, solidarity, and courage,” the supporters wrote. “The execution of a winner for his opinions is a blatant attack on these values and a caution to every athlete who ventures to express dissent.

Pattern of Killing Competitors

The appeal said that the athlete's case was not unique and highlighted the nation's history of executing competitors for their views, including a football captain, captain of the national football team, and a women's sports leader, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, Navid Afkari, a young Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Other endorsers to the appeal consist of Tracy Edwards, who skippered the inaugural women's squad in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to receive a prestigious sailing award; the previous skipper of the national squad an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was arrested in early 2020. The allegations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through arson and ruin of state assets”. His sentence has been reversed on two occasions but on the fourth of October it was maintained on the third attempt. His court case was denounced as “grossly unfair” by advocates and groups.

Appeal to United Nations

The appeal to halt the boxer's execution is subsequent to a earlier letter to the United Nations official for rights, signed by more than one hundred rights specialists and groups, urging measures to avert the athlete’s capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

According to data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has attained shocking dimensions”. In the year 2023, authorities put to death at least 853 people – a nearly half rise on the previous year. In the prior period, records showed nearly a thousand capital punishments, marking the highest number since the year 2015. More than 800 people have been sentenced so far in the current year.

Dissidents and protesters are victims, especially in the wake of the 2022's uprising. Experts say the government have utilized the death penalty to suppress protest, instil anxiety among the population and tighten their grip on rule.