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More than 20 Olympic medallists, trainers and other global sports figures have signed a letter urging a halt to the execution of a boxing champion and trainer, who is facing execution in the country.

Escalating Global Anger

During growing international outrage over the country's increasing application of capital punishment as a tool of repression, the strongly worded statement denounces the government's ruling to maintain the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northeastern region, was detained for taking part in national uprisings in the year 2019 and charged of backing an opposition group. He has endured five years in prison, where he has been abused and kept in isolation.

“Athletics is meant to promote faith, unity, and courage,” the endorsers stated. “The execution of a titleholder for his beliefs is a clear violation on these ideals and a caution to any competitor who attempts to voice opinions.

Pattern of Killing Competitors

The statement said that the boxer's circumstances was part of a pattern and highlighted the country's record of sentencing to death athletes for their beliefs, such as a national team leader, skipper of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Additional supporters to the letter consist of a sailing champion, who captained the pioneering female-only team in a global yacht race and was the first woman to receive a renowned nautical honor; the former captain of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Detention and Flawed Legal Process

The boxer was taken into custody in March 2020. The allegations against him included “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and damage of government belongings”. His sentence has been annulled on two occasions but on the fourth of October it was maintained on the latest review. His trial was denounced as “highly unjust” by rights defenders and groups.

Appeal to United Nations

The call to stop Vafaei Sani’s death sentence follows a 2023 letter to the United Nations official for rights, backed by more than a hundred human rights experts and entities, calling for action to prevent the athlete’s execution.

Execution Crisis

As per data, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has attained alarming levels”. In the year 2023, authorities sentenced at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a forty-eight percent increase on the previous year. Last year, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, constituting the maximum count since the year 2015. In excess of hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and protesters are targets, especially in the aftermath of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Experts say the government have utilized the capital punishment to suppress opposition, instil apprehension among the population and reinforce their control on power.