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In excess of 20 Olympic champions, mentors and additional international athletes have put their names to a appeal urging a stop to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and coach, who is sentenced to die in the nation.

Escalating Global Anger

During rising worldwide anger over the country's escalating use of executions as a tool of repression, the forcefully phrased statement condemns the authorities's decision to confirm the execution order of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, thirty, from the city in the northeastern region, was detained for taking part in national uprisings in the year 2019 and charged of backing an resistance movement. He has spent five years in incarceration, where he has been abused and held in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is meant to encourage hope, solidarity, and bravery,” the signatories wrote. “The execution of a champion for his opinions is a blatant attack on these principles and a warning to all sportspeople who attempts to express dissent.

Pattern of Executing Athletes

The appeal pointed out that the boxer's circumstances was not unique and highlighted the country's history of putting to death athletes for their convictions, such as Habib Khabiri, leader of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the female volleyball side. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old Iranian competitor, was also executed.

Further supporters to the letter consist of a yachting pioneer, who led the first female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to earn a prestigious yachting trophy; the ex- captain of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Apprehension and Unfair Trial

The athlete was taken into custody in March 2020. The accusations against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through fire-setting and destruction of government belongings”. His sentence has been annulled twice but on 4 October it was maintained on the latest review. His legal proceedings was denounced as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and organizations.

Call to UN

The appeal to stop the athlete's death sentence is subsequent to a previous letter to the UN high commissioner for human rights, signed by over a hundred advocates and entities, calling for action to avert the athlete’s execution.

Death Penalty Surge

As per findings, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the nation, which has attained shocking proportions”. In 2023, authorities put to death at least 853 people – a 48% surge on 2022. The year before, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, marking the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. More than eight hundred people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are targets, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 protests. Analysts say the government have employed the death penalty to stifle protest, generate fear among the population and reinforce their grip on rule.