🔗 Share this article Elite Athletes Call on Iran to Prevent Death Sentence of Champion Boxer Over two dozen Olympic champions, trainers and additional world-class competitors have signed a statement urging a halt to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is facing execution in the country. Escalating International Outrage Amid rising international outrage over Iran’s escalating use of executions as a means of repression, the powerfully expressed letter denounces the authorities's decision to confirm the death sentence of the athlete. The boxer, thirty, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was detained for taking part in national uprisings in the year 2019 and indicted of backing an resistance movement. He has spent five years in prison, where he has been mistreated and held in seclusion. “Athletics is designed to encourage hope, togetherness, and bravery,” the supporters stated. “The execution of a winner for his opinions is a direct assault on these ideals and a admonition to any competitor who ventures to express dissent. History of Putting to Death Sports Figures The statement noted that Vafaei Sani’s situation was part of a pattern and emphasized Iran’s history of executing athletes for their convictions, for example a national team leader, leader of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year Iranian competitor, was put to death. Further signatories to the appeal comprise a yachting pioneer, who skippered the pioneering women's squad in a international sailing event and was the pioneering lady to be awarded a prestigious nautical honor; the former leader of the Australian football team an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition. Arrest and Unjust Proceedings The athlete was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The charges against him included “spreading corruption on Earth through fire-setting and damage of government belongings”. His verdict has been annulled on two occasions but on the fourth of October it was confirmed on the latest review. His legal proceedings was criticized as “highly unjust” by rights defenders and bodies. Urging to United Nations The urging to prevent the boxer's death sentence follows a previous statement to the United Nations official for rights, signed by over one hundred advocates and organizations, demanding action to avert the competitor's capital punishment. Execution Crisis As per data, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has reached horrific dimensions”. In two thousand twenty-three, authorities sentenced at least 853 people – a forty-eight percent surge on the previous year. The year before, data showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, constituting the highest number since the year 2015. More than hundreds of people have been executed so far in the current year. Activists and opponents are targets, especially in the wake of the 2022 protests. Specialists say the regime have utilized the death penalty to quell dissent, generate anxiety among the citizenry and strengthen their control on power.