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More than two dozen Olympic medal winners, coaches and other international athletes have signed a statement demanding a end to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is facing execution in Iran.

Increasing International Outrage

During increasing global condemnation over Iran’s increasing application of the death penalty as a instrument of oppression, the forcefully phrased statement denounces the government's ruling to confirm the capital punishment of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was arrested for participating in nationwide protests in the year 2019 and accused of backing an opposition group. He has passed 60 months in prison, where he has been tortured and held in seclusion.

“Sport is meant to encourage faith, solidarity, and courage,” the endorsers expressed. “The capital punishment of a winner for his opinions is a direct assault on these values and a warning to all sportspeople who dares to express dissent.

Pattern of Putting to Death Athletes

The appeal pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was not an isolated one and highlighted Iran’s record of executing competitors for their beliefs, such as Habib Khabiri, leader of the football side, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Additional endorsers to the appeal comprise a sailing champion, who led the inaugural all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the first woman to earn a esteemed sailing award; the ex- captain of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and a sports figure, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

Vafaei Sani was arrested in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him included “promoting decay on Earth through incendiarism and ruin of government belongings”. His sentence has been annulled multiple times but on 4 October it was confirmed on the third occasion. His trial was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and organizations.

Urging to United Nations

The urging to stop the athlete's death sentence follows a earlier appeal to the United Nations official for freedoms, endorsed by over a hundred human rights experts and organizations, urging measures to prevent the sports figure's execution.

Capital Punishment Escalation

Based on reports, there is an “death penalty surge in the country, which has achieved shocking levels”. In 2023, authorities sentenced at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a 48% surge on 2022. The year before, records showed nearly a thousand capital punishments, representing the peak figure since 2015. In excess of 800 people have been executed so far in the current year.

Activists and dissidents are victims, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022's demonstrations. Experts say the Iranian authorities have employed the death penalty to stifle opposition, instil apprehension among the population and tighten their grip on authority.