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Over two dozen Olympic medallists, trainers and other world-class competitors have put their names to a statement calling for a end to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and coach, who is on death row in the country.

Escalating Global Anger

Amidst rising international outrage over Iran’s increasing application of the death penalty as a means of suppression, the powerfully expressed statement denounces the Iranian regime's ruling to uphold the execution order of the athlete.

The athlete, 30, from the city in the northeastern region, was detained for taking part in countrywide demonstrations in two thousand nineteen and indicted of backing an resistance movement. He has spent half a decade in incarceration, where he has been tortured and held in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is designed to inspire faith, solidarity, and courage,” the endorsers wrote. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his beliefs is a direct assault on these values and a warning to every athlete who dares to voice opinions.

History of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The appeal said that the athlete's circumstances was part of a pattern and underscored the nation's history of putting to death sports champions for their convictions, including a football captain, captain of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old Iranian wrestling champion, faced the death penalty.

Further endorsers to the appeal include Tracy Edwards, who captained the inaugural women's squad in a international sailing event and was the first woman to be awarded a prestigious sailing award; the ex- skipper of the soccer side an athlete; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the international competition.

Apprehension and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was arrested in the spring of 2020. The charges against him entailed “promoting decay on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been overturned multiple times but on 4 October it was confirmed on the latest review. His court case was denounced as “deeply biased” by advocates and bodies.

Urging to UN

The urging to stop the athlete's death sentence comes after a previous letter to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, endorsed by in excess of one hundred advocates and organizations, demanding measures to prevent the sports figure's execution.

Death Penalty Surge

As per findings, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has attained alarming proportions”. In the year 2023, the government sentenced at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a 48% rise on the previous year. The year before, records showed 972 deaths, constituting the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. Over hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Activists and dissidents are targets, particularly in the wake of the 2022's demonstrations. Specialists say the government have used the death penalty to stifle protest, generate anxiety among the public and tighten their grip on authority.