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More than two dozen Olympic medallists, trainers and other global sports figures have signed a statement urging a end to the capital punishment of a boxing titleholder and instructor, who is sentenced to die in the country.

Growing Worldwide Condemnation

Amid growing global condemnation over Iran’s increasing application of capital punishment as a tool of suppression, the strongly worded statement denounces the Iranian regime's verdict to confirm the death sentence of the athlete.

The athlete, 30, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was arrested for being involved in national uprisings in the year 2019 and accused of backing an opposition group. He has passed five years in detention, where he has been abused and held in solitary confinement.

“Competition is intended to promote faith, togetherness, and bravery,” the signatories wrote. “The death penalty of a champion for his beliefs is a blatant attack on these ideals and a warning to all sportspeople who dares to express dissent.

Pattern of Killing Sports Figures

The statement said that the athlete's situation was part of a pattern and emphasized the country's record of putting to death competitors for their beliefs, such as a national team leader, captain of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year national wrestling champion, was put to death.

Further supporters to the letter comprise a yachting pioneer, who captained the pioneering female-only team in a global yacht race and was the first woman to earn a prestigious sailing award; the former skipper of the soccer side an athlete; and a sports figure, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Detention and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was detained in the spring of 2020. The accusations against him comprised “promoting decay on Earth through arson and damage of government belongings”. His ruling has been overturned twice but on October 4 it was upheld on the third occasion. His court case was denounced as “highly unjust” by advocates and bodies.

Urging to International Body

The appeal to halt the athlete's execution is subsequent to a 2023 letter to the UN high commissioner for human rights, endorsed by more than 100 advocates and groups, calling for action to prevent the competitor's death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

According to data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has achieved horrific dimensions”. In 2023, officials sentenced at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a forty-eight percent rise on the previous year. In the prior period, records showed nine hundred seventy-two deaths, constituting the maximum count since 2015. In excess of hundreds of people have been sentenced so far in the current year.

Dissidents and opponents are targets, particularly in the wake of the 2022's uprising. Analysts say the government have utilized the capital punishment to suppress protest, instil anxiety among the citizenry and reinforce their hold on rule.