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In excess of two dozen Olympic medallists, trainers and further world-class competitors have signed a statement demanding a end to the execution of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is on death row in the country.

Escalating Global Anger

Amid rising international outrage over the country's expanding employment of capital punishment as a instrument of repression, the forcefully phrased letter denounces the government's ruling to maintain the execution order of the boxing champion.

The athlete, thirty, from the city in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for being involved in national uprisings in the year 2019 and indicted of backing an resistance movement. He has spent half a decade in detention, where he has been abused and kept in isolation.

“Competition is designed to inspire faith, togetherness, and courage,” the signatories expressed. “The death penalty of a winner for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a warning to every athlete who ventures to speak out.

Record of Killing Sports Figures

The letter noted that the boxer's circumstances was not an isolated one and emphasized Iran’s past of putting to death competitors for their beliefs, such as a national team leader, captain of the football side, and a women's sports leader, skipper of the female volleyball side. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a young national sports titleholder, was put to death.

Other endorsers to the statement include Tracy Edwards, who captained the inaugural all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the initial female to earn a renowned nautical honor; the former skipper of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the country's selection for the global tournament.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was detained in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him comprised “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and ruin of government belongings”. His ruling has been annulled on two occasions but on 4 October it was confirmed on the third occasion. His court case was criticized as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and groups.

Appeal to International Body

The urging to prevent the athlete's execution follows a earlier letter to the United Nations official for rights, signed by over 100 rights specialists and entities, urging intervention to prevent the competitor's capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

According to data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has attained horrific dimensions”. In 2023, authorities sentenced at least 853 people – a nearly half increase on the previous year. Last year, statistics showed 972 capital punishments, marking the maximum count since the year 2015. More than eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Dissidents and opponents are focus, notably in the wake of the the year 2022 protests. Specialists say the regime have employed the capital punishment to suppress opposition, generate apprehension among the public and reinforce their grip on rule.