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Over twenty Olympic medal winners, mentors and further international athletes have put their names to a appeal calling for a halt to the capital punishment of a boxing champion and trainer, who is on death row in the country.

Increasing Global Anger

Amid growing worldwide anger over the nation's escalating use of the death penalty as a means of repression, the forcefully phrased statement censures the Iranian regime's verdict to uphold the capital punishment of the athlete.

The boxer, three decades old, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was arrested for taking part in nationwide protests in 2019 and charged of backing an opposition group. He has spent 60 months in detention, where he has been tortured and kept in solitary confinement.

“Sport is intended to promote hope, solidarity, and fortitude,” the supporters stated. “The capital punishment of a titleholder for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a warning to every athlete who dares to speak out.

Pattern of Putting to Death Sports Figures

The statement said that the boxer's circumstances was not unique and highlighted the nation's past of executing competitors for their beliefs, such as a national team leader, leader of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, leader of the women's volleyball squad. In the year 2020, Navid Afkari, a young Iranian competitor, was put to death.

Other supporters to the statement include a yachting pioneer, who led the first all-female crew in a international sailing event and was the first woman to earn a renowned nautical honor; the former leader of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the country's selection for the 1978 World Cup.

Apprehension and Unfair Trial

The athlete was taken into custody in March 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through arson and destruction of government belongings”. His sentence has been annulled multiple times but on 4 October it was upheld on the third attempt. His legal proceedings was denounced as “deeply biased” by rights defenders and organizations.

Call to International Body

The urging to prevent the boxer's capital punishment comes after a earlier appeal to the global human rights chief for human rights, signed by in excess of 100 human rights experts and entities, calling for measures to avert the athlete’s capital punishment.

Death Penalty Surge

Based on data, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has reached shocking proportions”. In two thousand twenty-three, the government sentenced at least over 850 people – a 48% surge on the previous year. In the prior period, data showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, marking the peak figure since two thousand fifteen. Over eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Activists and protesters are targets, particularly in the aftermath of the the year 2022 protests. Analysts say the regime have employed the executions to quell dissent, generate fear among the citizenry and strengthen their grip on authority.