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In excess of two dozen Olympic medallists, mentors and further international athletes have endorsed a statement calling for a end to the execution of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is facing execution in the country.

Growing International Outrage

Amid growing worldwide anger over the nation's increasing application of capital punishment as a instrument of repression, the powerfully expressed appeal censures the government's verdict to uphold the death sentence of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from the city in north-east Iran, was arrested for participating in nationwide protests in the year 2019 and indicted of aiding an dissident organization. He has passed 60 months in incarceration, where he has been tortured and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is meant to promote optimism, unity, and fortitude,” the endorsers expressed. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his opinions is a direct assault on these values and a caution to every athlete who ventures to voice opinions.

Record of Killing Competitors

The statement said that the athlete's situation was not an isolated one and underscored Iran’s past of executing athletes for their views, including a football captain, leader of the soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a young Iranian competitor, was put to death.

Further supporters to the statement consist of a yachting pioneer, who led the pioneering female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to be awarded a prestigious sailing award; the ex- captain of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the international competition.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The athlete was detained in early 2020. The accusations against him included “promoting decay on Earth through arson and destruction of state assets”. His ruling has been overturned twice but on October 4 it was upheld on the third attempt. His court case was criticized as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and organizations.

Call to UN

The call to stop Vafaei Sani’s capital punishment follows a earlier appeal to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, backed by more than 100 advocates and entities, demanding intervention to prevent the competitor's execution.

Death Penalty Surge

According to reports, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has attained alarming proportions”. In the year 2023, officials executed at least 853 people – a nearly half rise on 2022. In the prior period, data showed 972 executions, marking the peak figure since the year 2015. More than hundreds of people have been executed so far in the current year.

Dissidents and protesters are focus, notably in the aftermath of the the year 2022 uprising. Specialists say the regime have employed the executions to stifle opposition, generate anxiety among the public and strengthen their grip on power.