🔗 Share this article Olympians Call on Iranian Authorities to Prevent Death Sentence of Champion Boxer Over twenty Olympic champions, coaches and further world-class competitors have put their names to a statement demanding a stop to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and instructor, who is sentenced to die in the nation. Escalating Worldwide Condemnation Amid rising worldwide anger over the nation's increasing application of executions as a instrument of repression, the strongly worded statement condemns the authorities's verdict to confirm the capital punishment of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani. Vafaei Sani, three decades old, from the city in the northeastern region, was arrested for being involved in national uprisings in 2019 and accused of supporting an opposition group. He has passed five years in prison, where he has been abused and confined in seclusion. “Sport is meant to promote faith, togetherness, and fortitude,” the supporters stated. “The execution of a titleholder for his beliefs is a clear violation on these ideals and a warning to any competitor who ventures to voice opinions. Pattern of Killing Athletes The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s situation was not an isolated one and underscored the nation's history of sentencing to death sports champions for their convictions, for example Habib Khabiri, captain of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the women's volleyball squad. In two thousand twenty, Navid Afkari, a young national competitor, faced the death penalty. Further supporters to the statement include Tracy Edwards, who led the pioneering female-only team in a round-the-world competition and was the pioneering lady to be awarded a prestigious nautical honor; the ex- captain of the Australian football team an athlete; and a sports figure, who was in the Iranian squad for the 1978 World Cup. Apprehension and Unjust Proceedings The athlete was arrested in early 2020. The charges against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and destruction of government belongings”. His verdict has been annulled twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the latest review. His trial was criticized as “grossly unfair” by human rights activists and bodies. Urging to UN The urging to prevent the athlete's capital punishment comes after a earlier statement to the UN high commissioner for human rights, backed by more than one hundred advocates and entities, urging measures to avert the competitor's execution. Death Penalty Surge According to findings, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has reached horrific levels”. In the year 2023, the government sentenced at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a 48% surge on 2022. In the prior period, records showed nine hundred seventy-two capital punishments, marking the maximum count since 2015. In excess of hundreds of people have been executed so far in the current year. Political prisoners and opponents are focus, particularly in the wake of the 2022's protests. Experts say the government have utilized the capital punishment to stifle dissent, create anxiety among the population and reinforce their hold on authority.