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More than two dozen Olympic medal winners, trainers and other international athletes have put their names to a letter calling for a stop to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is on death row in the nation.

Increasing Global Anger

During growing worldwide anger over Iran’s escalating use of the death penalty as a means of repression, the powerfully expressed statement condemns the government's verdict to uphold the execution order of the athlete.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from the city in the northern province, was detained for participating in nationwide protests in 2019 and indicted of supporting an resistance movement. He has endured half a decade in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is designed to promote optimism, unity, and courage,” the signatories wrote. “The death penalty of a winner for his beliefs is a direct assault on these principles and a warning to any competitor who ventures to voice opinions.

History of Killing Competitors

The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s situation was not an isolated one and highlighted Iran’s past of sentencing to death sports champions for their convictions, for example Habib Khabiri, skipper of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, Navid Afkari, a young Iranian competitor, faced the death penalty.

Other signatories to the letter include a yachting pioneer, who led the pioneering all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the first woman to earn a prestigious yachting trophy; the ex- leader of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the international competition.

Detention and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and damage of public property”. His verdict has been annulled multiple times but on the fourth of October it was upheld on the latest review. His trial was denounced as “deeply biased” by rights defenders and groups.

Appeal to International Body

The urging to halt Vafaei Sani’s death sentence is subsequent to a previous letter to the global human rights chief for rights, endorsed by in excess of one hundred advocates and groups, calling for intervention to avert the sports figure's capital punishment.

Execution Crisis

Based on reports, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has reached horrific levels”. In 2023, authorities executed at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent surge on 2022. Last year, data showed 972 capital punishments, representing the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. More than hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Dissidents and dissidents are victims, especially in the wake of the the year 2022 protests. Experts say the regime have employed the executions to stifle opposition, instil apprehension among the population and strengthen their hold on rule.