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More than two dozen Olympic medal winners, trainers and further international athletes have endorsed a letter calling for a halt to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is facing execution in the nation.

Escalating Global Anger

Amid growing global condemnation over the country's escalating use of capital punishment as a tool of oppression, the powerfully expressed appeal denounces the authorities's decision to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northern province, was detained for participating in national uprisings in 2019 and indicted of backing an opposition group. He has passed 60 months in prison, where he has been abused and confined in solitary confinement.

“Sport is meant to inspire optimism, solidarity, and bravery,” the endorsers stated. “The capital punishment of a titleholder for his opinions is a direct assault on these principles and a warning to every athlete who ventures to express dissent.

History of Killing Sports Figures

The letter pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s case 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 soccer squad, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the female volleyball side. In the year 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year national competitor, faced the death penalty.

Further signatories to the statement consist of Tracy Edwards, who led the first women's squad in a round-the-world competition and was the pioneering lady to earn a esteemed nautical honor; the ex- skipper of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Apprehension and Flawed Legal Process

The boxer was taken into custody in March 2020. The accusations against him included “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of state assets”. His sentence has been reversed on two occasions but on the fourth of October it was confirmed on the latest review. His court case was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and bodies.

Urging to UN

The urging to halt Vafaei Sani’s capital punishment follows a previous letter to the UN high commissioner for rights, backed by more than a hundred rights specialists and organizations, demanding action to prevent the sports figure's execution.

Execution Crisis

According to reports, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the nation, which has reached shocking proportions”. In the year 2023, officials put to death at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent surge on 2022. In the prior period, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two capital punishments, marking the highest number since two thousand fifteen. Over eight hundred people have been executed so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and opponents are victims, notably in the wake of the 2022's protests. Specialists say the government have employed the executions to stifle protest, create fear among the public and reinforce their hold on authority.