A group of athletes, including some Olympic stars, has signed a letter denouncing Iran’s actions towards prominent athletes, particularly focusing on the death penalty threats. The letter highlights the situation of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, an acclaimed boxer, who now faces execution in Iran.
Sani, a coach as well as a boxing champion, has been imprisoned since March 2020, stemming from his participation in protests ignited by a surge in gasoline prices in late 2019. Iran’s judiciary accused him of “corruption on earth,” a charge that could lead to the death penalty.
Leading the charge are notable figures like tennis icon Martina Navratilova and British swimming champion Sharon Davies. They are urging governments and sports organizations globally to act and prevent these executions from occurring.
The letter emphasizes that “31-year-old Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani remains on death row,” underscoring the urgency of the situation.
The athletes stress the need for immediate actions from entities like the United Nations and international sports bodies, asserting that the world should not remain passive as Iran suppresses its advocates. They express solidarity with the victims and call for justice.
The letter also recalls Iran’s history of executing prominent athletes, referencing the global outrage over the execution of Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old wrestler, earlier this year.
Since mid-March, the Iranian regime has allegedly escalated executions, particularly targeting political dissidents, with a crackdown deemed one of the harshest in decades. Many of the executed were part of protests against the government’s policies.
There’s a clear pattern here; Iran has repeatedly targeted athletes for their beliefs. This includes the execution of Habib Havili, a national soccer team captain, for his connections to a dissident group, and Forouzan Abdi, captain of the women’s volleyball team, who was among thousands executed during the 1988 massacre.
The letter has gained signatures from 24 athletes, including nine Olympians and five from Iran, illustrating broad concern over the issue.
- Martina Navratilova — Tennis legend (Czech Republic/USA)
- Solmaz Abuari — 16-time American Traditional Karate Champion (USA)
- Sharon Davison MBE — Swimmer, Olympic medalist (UK)
- Craig Foster AM — Former Australian national soccer team captain (Australia)
- Alberto Frati — Former International Super Featherweight Champion (Italy)
- Nikolai Tertelian — European Games gold medalist boxer (Denmark)
- Muslim Eskandar Filabi — Asian Games Wrestling Gold Medalist (Iran)
- Tracy Edwards MBE — First female crew captain of a round-the-world yacht race (UK)
- Baharam Mavadat — Former Iranian national soccer team goalkeeper (Iran)
- carilyn johnson — Ultrarunner, multi-time medalist (USA)
- Mohammad Ghorbani — World Championship Gold Medalist (Iran)
- Inga Thompson — Olympic cyclist and U.S. Champion (USA)
- Monica Aksamit — Olympic Bronze Medalist fencer (USA)
- Manusur Arastopur — World Boat Masters Regatta Gold Medalist (Iran)
- chris cook — Olympic swimmer, Commonwealth Games champion (UK)
- Eli Bremer — Olympic modern pentathlete (USA)
- Ali Giaei — Canadian martial arts champion (Canada)
- Vladislav Heraskevich — Olympic skeleton racer (Ukraine)
- Shea McAleese — New Zealand hockey Olympian (New Zealand)
- Asghar Adibi — Former Iranian national soccer team player (Iran)
- Elham Asem — Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion (Norway)
- Golpal Palvarde — TeamGym European Championship Silver Medalist (Sweden)
- Amin Karimi — Kickboxer (Germany)
- james field — U.S. International Karate Team captain (USA)
