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In excess of twenty Olympic medal winners, mentors and further world-class competitors have put their names to a letter demanding a halt to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Growing Worldwide Condemnation

During increasing worldwide anger over Iran’s expanding employment of capital punishment as a tool of oppression, the strongly worded statement censures the authorities's verdict to maintain the capital punishment of the athlete.

The boxer, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was detained for being involved in national uprisings in the year 2019 and charged of backing an resistance movement. He has passed 60 months in prison, where he has been abused and kept in solitary confinement.

“Competition is designed to inspire faith, unity, and bravery,” the signatories expressed. “The capital punishment of a winner for his political views is a clear violation on these values and a caution to any competitor who attempts to voice opinions.

History of Killing Competitors

The statement said that Vafaei Sani’s case was not an isolated one and underscored the country's record of putting to death competitors for their convictions, including a football captain, skipper of the football side, and a women's sports leader, skipper of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, was put to death.

Additional supporters to the statement comprise a sailing champion, who led the pioneering female-only team in a global yacht race and was the first woman to receive a prestigious sailing award; the previous leader of the soccer side a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Apprehension and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was taken into custody in March 2020. The accusations against him entailed “promoting decay on Earth through fire-setting and damage of state assets”. His verdict has been annulled twice but on October 4 it was confirmed on the latest review. His court case was criticized as “highly unjust” by rights defenders and groups.

Appeal to UN

The urging to stop Vafaei Sani’s death sentence comes after a earlier letter to the global human rights chief for freedoms, signed by over 100 human rights experts and groups, urging measures to stop the sports figure's capital punishment.

Execution Crisis

According to reports, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has achieved horrific proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, officials executed at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a forty-eight percent increase on 2022. In the prior period, records showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, representing the peak figure since the year 2015. In excess of eight hundred people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and opponents are targets, especially in the aftermath of the 2022 uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have used the death penalty to suppress dissent, create apprehension among the population and strengthen their grip on rule.