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More than two dozen Olympic champions, mentors and additional international athletes have signed a letter calling for a end to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and trainer, who is facing execution in the country.

Increasing Global Anger

Amid rising international outrage over Iran’s expanding employment of the death penalty as a tool of repression, the powerfully expressed appeal censures the authorities's decision to uphold the capital punishment of the athlete.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northern province, was arrested for taking part in nationwide protests in 2019 and accused of aiding an dissident organization. He has passed half a decade in detention, where he has been abused and held in seclusion.

“Competition is intended to promote optimism, togetherness, and bravery,” the signatories wrote. “The death penalty of a winner for his opinions is a clear violation on these values and a caution to all sportspeople who dares to voice opinions.

History of Killing Sports Figures

The statement said that the boxer's case was not unique and emphasized the country's past of putting to death athletes for their convictions, for example a national team leader, leader of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a young national competitor, was put to death.

Additional supporters to the appeal consist of Tracy Edwards, who led the pioneering women's squad in a international sailing event and was the initial female to receive a renowned yachting trophy; the previous leader of the soccer side Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Detention and Flawed Legal Process

Vafaei Sani was detained in early 2020. The allegations against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and ruin of state assets”. His sentence has been annulled on two occasions but on the fourth of October it was maintained on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was criticized as “deeply biased” by human rights activists and organizations.

Appeal to International Body

The call to halt Vafaei Sani’s execution comes after a 2023 letter to the United Nations official for freedoms, endorsed by more than a hundred advocates and groups, urging measures to avert the sports figure's death.

Execution Crisis

According to data, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has achieved shocking levels”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government sentenced at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent surge on 2022. Last year, records showed 972 deaths, marking the maximum count since the year 2015. In excess of eight hundred people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and dissidents are targets, notably in the aftermath of the 2022's protests. Experts say the government have used the executions to quell dissent, instil fear among the public and strengthen their control on rule.