Athletes call on UN and sports bodies to intervene in case of Iranian boxer facing execution

A coalition of 24 athletes signed a letter calling on the United Nations, international sports federations, and governments to intervene to stop the execution of Iranian boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani. The letter states that Sani, a 31-year-old boxing champion and coach, remains on death row.

He was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in March 2020 after participating in the November 2019 nationwide protests sparked by a sudden hike in gas prices.

The Iranian judiciary charged him with "corruption on earth," a capital offense. Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies headlined the letter. The coalition includes nine Olympians and five Iranians, with signatories from the United States, Europe, Australia, and Ukraine.

The letter also cites the execution of 19-year-old national wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi in March, which sparked a global uproar, and the execution earlier in 2026 of 21-year-old karate champion Sasan Azadvar Joonaghan. It states that since mid-March 2026, Iran has carried out dozens of executions of political dissidents following unfair trials and coerced confessions, with several victims being protesters arrested during the January 2026 uprising.

Among those named in the letter are Habib Khabiri, captain of Iran’s national football team, executed for his affiliation with the PMOI, and Forouzan Abdi, captain of Iran’s national women’s volleyball team, executed during the 1988 massacre alongside 30,000 political prisoners.

"We call on the United Nations, international sports federations, and governments to act immediately to save the lives of Iranian dissidents, including athletes," the letter states. "The world must not stand by while Iran silences its champions. " The letter states that Iran has executed dozens of people following trials lasting only minutes that relied on confessions extracted through torture since mid-March 2026.