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In excess of two dozen Olympic medallists, mentors and further global sports figures have signed a letter calling for a halt to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is sentenced to die in the nation.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

Amidst rising worldwide anger over Iran’s escalating use of the death penalty as a instrument of oppression, the forcefully phrased appeal condemns the government's decision to uphold the capital punishment of the athlete.

The athlete, thirty, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was arrested for participating in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and accused of backing an dissident organization. He has spent five years in prison, where he has been abused and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is intended to promote faith, solidarity, and courage,” the endorsers wrote. “The execution of a titleholder for his political views is a direct assault on these ideals and a admonition to all sportspeople who ventures to voice opinions.

History of Executing Competitors

The appeal noted that the boxer's situation was not an isolated one and emphasized the nation's history of sentencing to death sports champions for their views, such as Habib Khabiri, skipper of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year Iranian sports titleholder, was also executed.

Additional endorsers to the statement consist of Tracy Edwards, who led the pioneering all-female crew in a round-the-world competition and was the initial female to be awarded a renowned nautical honor; the former captain of the national squad an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Detention and Unfair Trial

The athlete was detained in March 2020. The charges against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through arson and damage of public property”. His verdict has been annulled twice but on 4 October it was confirmed on the third attempt. His trial was condemned as “highly unjust” by rights defenders and bodies.

Call to International Body

The appeal to prevent Vafaei Sani’s execution comes after a 2023 letter to the UN high commissioner for rights, backed by more than a hundred rights specialists and groups, urging action to avert the athlete’s execution.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has reached shocking proportions”. In the year 2023, authorities executed at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent increase on the previous year. Last year, statistics showed nearly a thousand executions, constituting the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. In excess of 800 people have been sentenced so far in the current year.

Dissidents and protesters are targets, particularly in the aftermath of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Specialists say the government have used the capital punishment to quell dissent, instil fear among the citizenry and reinforce their hold on rule.