In a strongly worded letter dated November 26, 2025, Kyiv’s mayor and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko urged global leaders to act immediately to stop the planned execution of 30-year-old Iranian boxer and political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani. Vafaei-Sani — a former champion and coach from Mashhad — was arrested following the nationwide pro-democracy protests of November 2019. His death sentence, declared by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, was upheld again on October 4, 2025 by Branch 9 of Iran’s Supreme Court, despite what his lawyer described as “numerous flaws.”
🚨 LETTER: Mayor of Kyiv & former boxing champion @Vitaliy_Klychko joins global sports icons urging Iran to halt the imminent execution of boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani for joining pro-democracy protests
Join the fight to save Mohammad Javad!
CC: @danawhite @usykaa pic.twitter.com/QIk7HpzXmT
— Justice for the Victims of 1988 Massacre in Iran (@jvmifoundation) November 27, 2025
Klitschko’s letter aligns with a joint statement made by Iranian and international athletes, condemning Vafaei-Sani’s death sentence as a grave injustice. He emphasized that sports should embody “hope, unity, and courage” — and argued that executing an athlete for his political beliefs undermines those very values. He described such an act as “a direct assault… and a warning to every athlete who dares to speak out.”
Calling on the United Nations, global sports federations, and national governments, Klitschko insisted they must intervene “without delay.” “We stand with Mohammad Javad. We stand for justice,” he wrote.
Context: A Growing Global Alarm
The upholding of Vafaei-Sani’s death sentence has triggered backlash from a broad coalition of athletes, human-rights groups, and international bodies. More than 20 Olympic athletes and former champions — including internationally recognized names — have signed a letter condemning Iran’s decision, calling the trial “grossly unfair,” and demanding an immediate stay of execution.
These voices warn that Vafaei-Sani’s case is not an isolated tragedy, but part of a disturbing pattern of executions targeting protesters, dissidents, and even athletes — a strategy viewed by many as state-sponsored repression.
According to human-rights monitoring groups, Vafaei-Sani has endured torture, prolonged solitary confinement, and grossly unfair judicial proceedings since his arrest in March 2020. The recurring death sentences — overturned and re-imposed multiple times — underscore systemic flaws in his trial.
Global pressure is mounting. The World Boxing Council (WBC) has publicly joined the call for clemency, insisting that “boxing is a discipline that inspires courage, respect, and self-improvement” — and rejecting the idea that a boxer should be punished with death for his beliefs.