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In excess of 20 Olympic medallists, trainers and further global sports figures have endorsed a appeal demanding a stop to the death penalty of a boxing champion and trainer, who is facing execution in Iran.

Escalating Worldwide Condemnation

Amid rising global condemnation over Iran’s expanding employment of executions as a means of suppression, the forcefully phrased appeal denounces the authorities's verdict to maintain the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from Mashhad in the northern province, was taken into custody for being involved in national uprisings in two thousand nineteen and indicted of supporting an opposition group. He has passed 60 months in prison, where he has been tortured and confined in seclusion.

“Sport is intended to promote faith, solidarity, and courage,” the supporters stated. “The capital punishment of a champion for his opinions is a blatant attack on these principles and a warning to every athlete who ventures to speak out.

History of Killing Athletes

The statement said that the athlete's situation was part of a pattern and underscored Iran’s past of putting to death athletes for their views, including a football captain, skipper of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In the year 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year national competitor, was also executed.

Other endorsers to the letter include Tracy Edwards, who captained the pioneering women's squad in a international sailing event and was the first woman to receive a prestigious sailing award; the ex- skipper of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Detention and Flawed Legal Process

Vafaei Sani was arrested in March 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned multiple times but on 4 October it was upheld on the latest review. His trial was condemned as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and groups.

Appeal to International Body

The appeal to stop Vafaei Sani’s execution is subsequent to a earlier appeal to the United Nations official for rights, backed by in excess of a hundred human rights experts and entities, urging measures to stop the athlete’s capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on data, there is an “death penalty surge in Iran, which has reached shocking dimensions”. In the year 2023, officials executed at least 853 people – a 48% increase on 2022. Last year, data showed 972 deaths, representing the highest number since the year 2015. Over eight hundred people have been put to death so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and opponents are targets, notably in the aftermath of the 2022's demonstrations. Analysts say the Iranian authorities have employed the executions to stifle opposition, instil fear among the public and strengthen their control on rule.