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In excess of two dozen Olympic medallists, mentors and further world-class competitors have put their names to a letter calling for a halt to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is facing execution in the nation.

Growing International Outrage

Amidst rising global condemnation over Iran’s expanding employment of capital punishment as a tool of suppression, the powerfully expressed appeal denounces the authorities's ruling to maintain the execution order of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The boxer, thirty, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for being involved in national uprisings in the year 2019 and charged of backing an opposition group. He has spent half a decade in detention, where he has been abused and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is designed to promote optimism, unity, and courage,” the signatories stated. “The execution of a champion for his beliefs is a direct assault on these values and a caution to all sportspeople who attempts to voice opinions.

History of Killing Competitors

The letter noted that Vafaei Sani’s case was not an isolated one and emphasized the country's past of putting to death athletes for their convictions, such as a football captain, leader of the football side, and a women's sports leader, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old Iranian competitor, was also executed.

Further supporters to the appeal include a yachting pioneer, who captained the inaugural women's squad in a international sailing event and was the first woman to receive a renowned nautical honor; the previous skipper of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Detention and Unfair Trial

The athlete was detained in early 2020. The charges against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and damage of state assets”. His sentence has been reversed on two occasions but on 4 October it was confirmed on the third attempt. His court case was denounced as “grossly unfair” by human rights activists and bodies.

Urging to United Nations

The appeal to stop the athlete's death sentence follows a earlier letter to the global human rights chief for rights, endorsed by over 100 human rights experts and groups, calling for action to stop the competitor's execution.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to findings, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has attained shocking levels”. In two thousand twenty-three, authorities put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a nearly half increase on the previous year. Last year, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, marking the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. Over eight hundred people have been put to death so far in the current year.

Activists and protesters are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the the year 2022 demonstrations. Specialists say the regime have utilized the death penalty to stifle opposition, instil apprehension among the population and strengthen their control on rule.