🔗 Share this article

In excess of twenty Olympic champions, mentors and additional international athletes have endorsed a letter urging a halt to the death penalty of a champion boxer and trainer, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Increasing International Outrage

Amid increasing worldwide anger over the nation's increasing application of executions as a tool of oppression, the strongly worded appeal condemns the government's decision to confirm the death sentence of the boxing champion.

Vafaei Sani, thirty, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was arrested for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and indicted of aiding an opposition group. He has passed five years in prison, where he has been mistreated and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is designed to encourage optimism, unity, and fortitude,” the signatories wrote. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his political views is a blatant attack on these principles and a admonition to every athlete who dares to voice opinions.

History of Executing Sports Figures

The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was not unique and highlighted Iran’s history of executing athletes for their beliefs, including a national team leader, skipper of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year national competitor, was put to death.

Other endorsers to the letter include a yachting pioneer, who skippered the pioneering female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to receive a esteemed sailing award; the former leader of the soccer side Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the international competition.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

Vafaei Sani was detained in March 2020. The charges against him included “promoting decay on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of state assets”. His ruling has been annulled twice but on the fourth of October it was upheld on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was criticized as “deeply biased” by advocates and bodies.

Appeal to United Nations

The urging to prevent the boxer's capital punishment is subsequent to a earlier appeal to the United Nations official for rights, endorsed by over one hundred rights specialists and entities, calling for intervention to prevent the sports figure's death.

Execution Crisis

According to reports, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has achieved shocking levels”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government executed at least 853 people – a 48% increase on the previous year. The year before, statistics showed 972 executions, constituting the maximum count since the year 2015. Over 800 people have been executed so far in the current year.

Activists and protesters are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the the year 2022 uprising. Specialists say the government have utilized the death penalty to stifle protest, create apprehension among the citizenry and tighten their control on authority.