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Over twenty Olympic medal winners, mentors and other international athletes have put their names to a appeal calling for a end to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and coach, who is on death row in Iran.

Escalating International Outrage

Amid rising international outrage over the nation's increasing application of capital punishment as a tool of repression, the strongly worded appeal condemns the Iranian regime's decision to confirm the death sentence of the boxing champion.

The athlete, three decades old, from the city in the northern province, was taken into custody for participating in national uprisings in 2019 and charged of supporting an opposition group. He has passed five years in prison, where he has been mistreated and kept in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is intended to encourage hope, solidarity, and bravery,” the endorsers expressed. “The capital punishment of a champion for his opinions is a clear violation on these principles and a caution to all sportspeople who ventures to voice opinions.

Pattern of Executing Competitors

The letter said that the boxer's situation was part of a pattern and underscored the country's record of putting to death athletes for their convictions, for example a national team leader, leader of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Additional endorsers to the statement include Tracy Edwards, who led the pioneering all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the initial female to be awarded a renowned nautical honor; the former skipper of the national squad an athlete; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The athlete was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The charges against him included “promoting decay on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of public property”. His sentence has been annulled twice but on October 4 it was upheld on the third occasion. His court case was criticized as “grossly unfair” by human rights activists and groups.

Urging to UN

The call to halt the athlete's death sentence is subsequent to a 2023 statement to the United Nations official for human rights, backed by more than one hundred advocates and groups, calling for measures to stop the sports figure's execution.

Death Penalty Surge

As per findings, there is an “capital punishment escalation in the country, which has reached shocking proportions”. In the year 2023, the government put to death at least 853 people – a forty-eight percent surge on the previous year. In the prior period, data showed 972 deaths, marking the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. Over eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and dissidents are victims, notably in the aftermath of the the year 2022 protests. Experts say the government have used the capital punishment to stifle dissent, instil fear among the public and tighten their hold on power.