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More than two dozen Olympic medallists, coaches and further world-class competitors have signed a statement calling for a stop to the execution of a champion boxer and instructor, who is on death row in Iran.

Escalating Global Anger

Amid growing worldwide anger over the nation's increasing application of capital punishment as a means of repression, the forcefully phrased appeal denounces the Iranian regime's ruling to confirm the death sentence of the athlete.

The athlete, thirty, from the city in north-east Iran, was detained for participating in national uprisings in the year 2019 and charged of backing an resistance movement. He has spent five years in detention, where he has been tortured and held in solitary confinement.

“Athletics is intended to inspire hope, togetherness, and fortitude,” the supporters expressed. “The capital punishment of a titleholder for his political views is a direct assault on these principles and a admonition to all sportspeople who dares to express dissent.

Record of Putting to Death Competitors

The appeal noted that the athlete's circumstances was part of a pattern and underscored Iran’s record of sentencing to death competitors for their beliefs, such as a football captain, captain of the football side, and Fourouzan Abdi, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In two thousand twenty, an athlete, a 27-year-old Iranian sports titleholder, faced the death penalty.

Additional signatories to the appeal include a yachting pioneer, who captained the pioneering female-only team in a international sailing event and was the initial female to be awarded a prestigious nautical honor; the former leader of the Australian football team Craig Foster; and Bahram Mavaddat, who was in the national team for the global tournament.

Arrest and Flawed Legal Process

The athlete was detained in March 2020. The charges against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and ruin of public property”. His verdict has been reversed twice but on 4 October it was upheld on the latest review. His court case was condemned as “deeply biased” by advocates and organizations.

Urging to International Body

The call to stop the athlete's capital punishment comes after a previous letter to the United Nations official for human rights, endorsed by in excess of 100 human rights experts and groups, calling for action to prevent the athlete’s death.

Capital Punishment Escalation

As per data, there is an “capital punishment escalation in Iran, which has achieved horrific levels”. In the year 2023, authorities executed at least eight hundred fifty-three people – a forty-eight percent increase on 2022. In the prior period, data showed 972 capital punishments, representing the maximum count since two thousand fifteen. More than 800 people have been sentenced so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and dissidents are victims, particularly in the wake of the 2022 uprising. Analysts say the government have used the death penalty to stifle dissent, instil fear among the population and strengthen their hold on power.