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In excess of 20 Olympic champions, coaches and additional global sports figures have endorsed a letter demanding a halt to the death penalty of a boxing champion and instructor, who is facing execution in Iran.

Escalating Global Anger

Amid increasing international outrage over Iran’s escalating use of the death penalty as a tool of suppression, the powerfully expressed appeal censures the Iranian regime's verdict to uphold 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 countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and accused of supporting an opposition group. He has spent 60 months in detention, where he has been abused and held in seclusion.

“Competition is meant to promote hope, solidarity, and bravery,” the supporters expressed. “The death penalty of a titleholder for his political views is a direct assault on these ideals and a warning to every athlete who attempts to speak out.

Record of Putting to Death Competitors

The statement noted that the athlete's circumstances was not unique and emphasized Iran’s record of sentencing to death athletes for their convictions, such as a national team leader, captain of the national football team, and Fourouzan Abdi, skipper of the female volleyball side. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old national wrestling champion, was put to death.

Other signatories to the appeal consist of Tracy Edwards, who skippered the inaugural all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the first woman to be awarded a prestigious nautical honor; the former leader of the Australian football team a sports advocate; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the international competition.

Detention and Unfair Trial

The athlete was taken into custody in early 2020. The accusations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through fire-setting and damage of government belongings”. His ruling has been reversed on two occasions but on October 4 it was maintained on the third attempt. His court case was denounced as “deeply biased” by advocates and organizations.

Appeal to United Nations

The urging to prevent the athlete's death sentence comes after a previous letter to the United Nations official for freedoms, backed by over 100 rights specialists and groups, urging measures to prevent the athlete’s death.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on findings, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has attained alarming proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government put to death at least 853 people – a forty-eight percent rise on 2022. In the prior period, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two capital punishments, marking the peak figure since 2015. Over hundreds of people have been executed so far in 2025.

Dissidents and protesters are focus, especially in the aftermath of the 2022's protests. Analysts say the Iranian authorities have utilized the executions to quell protest, generate fear among the citizenry and reinforce their grip on power.