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More than 20 Olympic medallists, mentors and additional global sports figures have endorsed a statement demanding a halt to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and instructor, who is facing execution in the country.

Increasing Worldwide Condemnation

Amid increasing international outrage over the country's escalating use of the death penalty as a means of oppression, the forcefully phrased appeal condemns the authorities's decision to confirm the death sentence of the athlete.

The athlete, three decades old, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for participating in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and accused of aiding an resistance movement. He has passed half a decade in prison, where he has been mistreated and kept in seclusion.

“Competition is intended to promote optimism, solidarity, and courage,” the signatories expressed. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his political views is a clear violation on these ideals and a caution to any competitor who attempts to speak out.

History of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The letter said that the boxer's situation was part of a pattern and underscored Iran’s record of executing sports champions for their convictions, for example a national team leader, leader of the football side, and a women's sports leader, skipper of the female volleyball side. In the year 2020, an athlete, a young Iranian competitor, was also executed.

Other signatories to the statement consist of a sailing champion, who skippered the first all-female crew in a round-the-world competition and was the initial female to be awarded a prestigious sailing award; the previous skipper of the soccer side Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was detained in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him included “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and destruction of state assets”. His sentence has been reversed multiple times but on October 4 it was upheld on the third attempt. His court case was condemned as “highly unjust” by rights defenders and bodies.

Appeal to United Nations

The urging to stop the boxer's capital punishment follows a 2023 appeal to the UN high commissioner for human rights, endorsed by in excess of one hundred rights specialists and groups, demanding measures to stop the competitor's execution.

Death Penalty Surge

As per data, there is an “death penalty surge in the country, which has attained horrific proportions”. In 2023, the government put to death at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a forty-eight percent rise on 2022. Last year, statistics showed 972 deaths, marking the maximum count since the year 2015. More than hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Activists and protesters are targets, notably in the aftermath of the 2022's uprising. Experts say the government have used the death penalty to suppress protest, create anxiety among the public and reinforce their control on rule.