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In excess of two dozen Olympic champions, trainers and further world-class competitors have signed a letter calling for a end to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and trainer, who is on death row in Iran.

Increasing International Outrage

During increasing worldwide anger over Iran’s escalating use of capital punishment as a means of oppression, the strongly worded letter condemns the authorities's decision to uphold the death sentence of the athlete.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northern province, was arrested for participating in countrywide demonstrations in two thousand nineteen and charged of supporting an opposition group. He has endured five years in incarceration, where he has been abused and held in seclusion.

“Competition is meant to inspire hope, solidarity, and courage,” the supporters expressed. “The death penalty of a champion for his political views is a clear violation on these ideals and a warning to every athlete who dares to speak out.

Pattern of Executing Sports Figures

The letter pointed out that the athlete's circumstances was not unique and highlighted Iran’s past of executing competitors for their convictions, including a football captain, skipper of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year Iranian sports titleholder, was put to death.

Additional supporters to the letter consist of Tracy Edwards, who skippered the first women's squad in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to receive a esteemed sailing award; the former skipper of the Australian football team an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

The athlete was arrested in early 2020. The charges against him included “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and destruction of public property”. His ruling has been overturned twice but on October 4 it was upheld on the latest review. His court case was criticized as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and bodies.

Appeal to International Body

The urging to stop Vafaei Sani’s execution follows a 2023 statement to the global human rights chief for human rights, endorsed by more than a hundred advocates and organizations, demanding action to avert the sports figure's death.

Execution Crisis

According to findings, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has reached horrific proportions”. In the year 2023, the government put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a forty-eight percent surge on 2022. The year before, records showed nearly a thousand executions, marking the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. More than hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in the current year.

Dissidents and protesters are focus, especially in the aftermath of the 2022 demonstrations. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have used the executions to quell opposition, create fear among the population and tighten their grip on authority.