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In excess of twenty Olympic medallists, mentors and further world-class competitors have put their names to a appeal demanding a stop to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and instructor, who is on death row in the nation.

Escalating International Outrage

Amid growing global condemnation over the country's expanding employment of capital punishment as a tool of suppression, the forcefully phrased letter censures the government's ruling to maintain the execution order of the athlete.

The boxer, thirty, from Mashhad in the northeastern region, was arrested for participating in national uprisings in 2019 and accused of supporting an dissident organization. He has passed 60 months in prison, where he has been tortured and kept in solitary confinement.

“Competition is intended to encourage hope, togetherness, and courage,” the supporters expressed. “The execution of a champion for his opinions is a direct assault on these principles and a caution to all sportspeople who dares to express dissent.

Pattern of Killing Athletes

The statement said that the athlete's case was part of a pattern and highlighted the country's history of putting to death sports champions for their convictions, for example Habib Khabiri, skipper of the football side, and a women's sports leader, captain of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, an athlete, a 27-year Iranian competitor, was put to death.

Further endorsers to the letter comprise a yachting pioneer, who skippered the first women's squad in a international sailing event and was the first woman to earn a esteemed yachting trophy; the previous leader of the national squad a sports advocate; and a sports figure, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Detention and Unfair Trial

The boxer was detained in March 2020. The allegations against him entailed “causing deterioration on Earth through incendiarism and ruin of state assets”. His verdict has been annulled multiple times but on 4 October it was upheld on the latest review. His legal proceedings was denounced as “highly unjust” by human rights activists and organizations.

Call to International Body

The appeal to stop the athlete's execution follows a earlier statement to the UN high commissioner for freedoms, endorsed by over one hundred advocates and groups, calling for measures to stop the competitor's execution.

Execution Crisis

Based on findings, there is an “execution crisis in Iran, which has attained alarming proportions”. In 2023, authorities sentenced at least 853 people – a 48% increase on 2022. In the prior period, records showed 972 executions, marking the peak figure since 2015. Over 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Dissidents and protesters are targets, particularly in the wake of the 2022's uprising. Specialists say the government have employed the capital punishment to quell opposition, create fear among the population and strengthen their grip on power.