More than 20 Olympic medallists, coaches and other world-class competitors have signed a appeal demanding a halt to the death penalty of a boxing titleholder and trainer, who is facing execution in the country.
Amidst increasing global condemnation over the country's increasing application of capital punishment as a instrument of suppression, the strongly worded appeal condemns the Iranian regime's decision to uphold the execution order of the athlete.
The athlete, 30, from Mashhad in the northern province, was arrested for being involved in countrywide demonstrations in two thousand nineteen and charged of backing an opposition group. He has spent half a decade in incarceration, where he has been mistreated and confined in seclusion.
“Sport is intended to inspire faith, togetherness, and bravery,” the endorsers stated. “The capital punishment of a champion for his opinions is a clear violation on these values and a warning to every athlete who attempts to express dissent.
The appeal said that the boxer's case was part of a pattern and underscored the nation's record of executing athletes for their views, including a national team leader, leader of the national football team, and a volleyball captain, skipper of the women's volleyball squad. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old national sports titleholder, was also executed.
Further supporters to the letter consist of a yachting pioneer, who captained the pioneering women's squad in a round-the-world competition and was the first woman to earn a prestigious yachting trophy; the ex- skipper of the national squad Craig Foster; and a sports figure, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.
The boxer was detained in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him included “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of state assets”. His ruling has been annulled multiple times but on October 4 it was confirmed on the third occasion. His legal proceedings was denounced as “grossly unfair” by rights defenders and bodies.
The urging to halt the athlete's death sentence follows a previous statement to the UN high commissioner for rights, backed by in excess of one hundred advocates and groups, urging action to stop the sports figure's execution.
Based on reports, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has achieved alarming dimensions”. In the year 2023, officials put to death at least over 850 people – a forty-eight percent increase on 2022. In the prior period, records showed nearly a thousand executions, marking the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. In excess of hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.
Activists and opponents are focus, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 uprising. Experts say the Iranian authorities have utilized the executions to stifle opposition, instil anxiety among the citizenry and tighten their control on power.
