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More than 20 Olympic champions, mentors and further global sports figures have put their names to a statement urging a end to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Escalating Worldwide Condemnation

Amid growing international outrage over Iran’s increasing application of the death penalty as a instrument of suppression, the powerfully expressed appeal censures the government's verdict to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, 30, from the city in the northern province, was detained for being involved in national uprisings in 2019 and charged of aiding an opposition group. He has spent five years in detention, where he has been abused and held in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is designed to encourage hope, solidarity, and fortitude,” the supporters wrote. “The execution of a champion for his opinions is a direct assault on these principles and a warning to all sportspeople who attempts to express dissent.

History of Executing Competitors

The statement pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s situation was part of a pattern and highlighted Iran’s past of putting to death competitors for their views, for example Habib Khabiri, leader of the football side, and a women's sports leader, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old national competitor, was put to death.

Additional endorsers to the appeal comprise a yachting pioneer, who captained the pioneering all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the initial female to be awarded a renowned sailing award; the previous leader of the soccer side Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The boxer was arrested in March 2020. The charges against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and damage of government belongings”. His verdict has been annulled multiple times but on 4 October it was confirmed on the latest review. His legal proceedings was denounced as “highly unjust” by advocates and bodies.

Appeal to International Body

The appeal to halt the athlete's capital punishment is subsequent to a earlier statement to the United Nations official for rights, endorsed by over one hundred human rights experts and organizations, calling for action to stop the athlete’s death.

Death Penalty Surge

According to findings, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has attained horrific dimensions”. In 2023, the government executed at least over 850 people – a nearly half increase on 2022. Last year, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, representing the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. More than 800 people have been put to death so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and protesters are targets, notably in the wake of the 2022's demonstrations. Analysts say the regime have used the capital punishment to stifle dissent, instil fear among the population and tighten their control on rule.