🔗 Share this article Elite Athletes Appeal on Iran to Stop Execution of Boxing Champion More than two dozen Olympic champions, coaches and further global sports figures have endorsed a letter demanding a halt to the death penalty of a boxing champion and coach, who is facing execution in Iran. Escalating Global Anger Amid increasing global condemnation over the country's expanding employment of the death penalty as a instrument of suppression, the forcefully phrased appeal censures the authorities's ruling to maintain the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani. The athlete, thirty, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for taking part in nationwide protests in two thousand nineteen and accused of aiding an opposition group. He has endured 60 months in prison, where he has been tortured and kept in seclusion. “Sport is intended to promote hope, solidarity, and bravery,” the signatories expressed. “The execution of a winner for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a warning to all sportspeople who dares to speak out. History of Putting to Death Athletes The letter pointed out that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was not unique and emphasized Iran’s record of putting to death sports champions for their beliefs, such as a football captain, captain of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian competitor, faced the death penalty. Additional supporters to the letter include a sailing champion, who captained the first women's squad in a global yacht race and was the pioneering lady to be awarded a prestigious nautical honor; the ex- captain of the soccer side Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition. Detention and Unfair Trial The athlete was arrested in the spring of 2020. The charges against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and destruction of government belongings”. His sentence has been overturned twice but on the fourth of October it was confirmed on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was denounced as “highly unjust” by advocates and organizations. Call to International Body The appeal to prevent Vafaei Sani’s death sentence is subsequent to a earlier appeal to the United Nations official for human rights, endorsed by in excess of a hundred rights specialists and groups, calling for action to avert the competitor's death. Death Penalty Surge Based on reports, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has achieved alarming proportions”. In 2023, officials put to death at least 853 people – a 48% increase on the previous year. The year before, data showed nearly a thousand deaths, marking the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. Over 800 people have been put to death so far in the current year. Dissidents and opponents are victims, particularly in the wake of the 2022 protests. Experts say the regime have employed the executions to stifle protest, generate apprehension among the population and reinforce their hold on power.