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Over 20 Olympic medal winners, coaches and additional international athletes have signed a appeal demanding a halt to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is on death row in Iran.

Growing Worldwide Condemnation

Amidst growing global condemnation over Iran’s expanding employment of executions as a means of repression, the strongly worded letter denounces the Iranian regime's ruling to uphold the execution order of the boxing champion.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northern province, was detained for participating in countrywide demonstrations in the year 2019 and charged of backing an opposition group. He has endured 60 months in prison, where he has been mistreated and held in isolation.

“Athletics is designed to promote faith, unity, and bravery,” the supporters stated. “The capital punishment of a winner for his political views is a clear violation on these principles and a admonition to every athlete who attempts to express dissent.

Record of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was part of a pattern and underscored Iran’s record of sentencing to death sports champions for their views, for example Habib Khabiri, leader of the football side, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the female volleyball side. In two thousand twenty, an athlete, a 27-year national sports titleholder, was also executed.

Other signatories to the statement comprise a sailing champion, who skippered the inaugural female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to earn a esteemed sailing award; the ex- skipper of the Australian football team an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Flawed Legal Process

Vafaei Sani was taken into custody in March 2020. The allegations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through arson and damage of government belongings”. His sentence has been annulled twice but on October 4 it was maintained on the third occasion. His trial was denounced as “highly unjust” by advocates and bodies.

Urging to International Body

The call to stop Vafaei Sani’s execution comes after a earlier letter to the United Nations official for freedoms, endorsed by over a hundred advocates and entities, urging action to prevent the competitor's execution.

Execution Crisis

As per reports, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has achieved alarming levels”. In the year 2023, officials executed at least over 850 people – a nearly half increase on 2022. The year before, statistics showed nearly a thousand deaths, constituting the peak figure since the year 2015. In excess of 800 people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and protesters are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022's uprising. Experts say the government have employed the capital punishment to quell opposition, instil fear among the public and strengthen their grip on rule.