🔗 Share this article

In excess of two dozen Olympic champions, trainers and additional global sports figures have endorsed a statement demanding a stop to the death penalty of a boxing champion and instructor, who is on death row in Iran.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

During increasing international outrage over the nation's escalating use of the death penalty as a instrument of oppression, the powerfully expressed appeal condemns the authorities's decision to maintain the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.

The athlete, thirty, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was arrested for taking part in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and accused of supporting an opposition group. He has spent five years in prison, where he has been tortured and kept in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is intended to encourage optimism, unity, and courage,” the endorsers wrote. “The execution of a winner for his opinions is a clear violation on these principles and a admonition to every athlete who ventures to speak out.

Pattern of Putting to Death Competitors

The appeal noted that the boxer's situation was part of a pattern and underscored Iran’s record of sentencing to death athletes for their views, for example a national team leader, leader of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a young Iranian competitor, was also executed.

Further supporters to the appeal comprise a sailing champion, who skippered the inaugural all-female crew in a global yacht race and was the pioneering lady to earn a renowned yachting trophy; the former leader of the soccer side an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the Iranian squad for the global tournament.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was arrested in early 2020. The charges against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through arson and ruin of government belongings”. His verdict has been annulled on two occasions but on October 4 it was maintained on the third occasion. His trial was condemned as “deeply biased” by advocates and bodies.

Urging to International Body

The urging to stop the athlete's execution comes after a earlier appeal to the global human rights chief for rights, signed by in excess of 100 human rights experts and organizations, demanding action to stop the competitor's death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to findings, there is an “execution crisis in the nation, which has reached shocking dimensions”. In the year 2023, authorities executed at least 853 people – a nearly half increase on 2022. Last year, statistics showed 972 executions, marking the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. More than hundreds of people have been put to death so far in the current year.

Political prisoners and protesters are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022's uprising. Experts say the government have utilized the death penalty to stifle opposition, instil apprehension among the public and strengthen their control on authority.