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In excess of two dozen Olympic medal winners, mentors and other global sports figures have put their names to a statement demanding a stop to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is on death row in the nation.

Escalating Global Anger

During increasing worldwide anger over the country's expanding employment of capital punishment as a tool of suppression, the strongly worded letter condemns the Iranian regime's verdict to confirm the death sentence of the athlete.

Vafaei Sani, 30, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for participating in national uprisings in 2019 and accused of aiding an resistance movement. He has passed half a decade in incarceration, where he has been abused and held in isolation.

“Sport is designed to inspire faith, solidarity, and fortitude,” the endorsers wrote. “The capital punishment of a winner for his beliefs is a direct assault on these ideals and a admonition to all sportspeople who dares to express dissent.

Pattern of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The statement noted that the athlete's case was part of a pattern and highlighted Iran’s past of executing athletes for their views, including a national team leader, captain of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the female volleyball side. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year Iranian sports titleholder, was put to death.

Other supporters to the statement comprise a yachting pioneer, who captained the inaugural women's squad in a round-the-world competition and was the initial female to receive a prestigious yachting trophy; the former captain of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was detained in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him included “promoting decay on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of public property”. His ruling has been annulled multiple times but on October 4 it was maintained on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and groups.

Urging to United Nations

The call to halt Vafaei Sani’s death sentence comes after a 2023 statement to the UN high commissioner for human rights, endorsed by in excess of one hundred human rights experts and organizations, demanding measures to prevent the athlete’s capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on data, there is an “death penalty surge in the nation, which has reached alarming proportions”. In the year 2023, authorities put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a nearly half increase on 2022. The year before, statistics showed nearly a thousand executions, representing the peak figure since the year 2015. Over hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are focus, especially in the wake of the 2022's uprising. Specialists say the Iranian authorities have utilized the death penalty to suppress protest, instil apprehension among the population and strengthen their grip on authority.