Iranian boxer on death row wins human rights award as athletes push to save his life
An Iranian boxing champion on death row has won an international human rights award, bringing renewed attention to his case after prominent athletes urged Iran to spare his life.
Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani was named the 2026 Magnitsky Award winner for Outstanding Human Rights Activist, according to the award organizers. The honor is scheduled to be presented on his behalf Thursday in London, according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an opposition coalition.
British lawmaker Bob Blackman, chair of the British Committee for Iran Freedom, is listed as the award’s presenter.
Vafaei Sani, a boxer and coach from Mashhad, was arrested in 2020 following the November 2019 anti-government protests. Authorities accused him of supporting the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, also known as the PMOI or MEK, according to the NCRI.
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His prosecution involved allegations of arson and destruction of public property under the capital charge of "corruption on earth," according to IranWire. Rights advocates have condemned the proceedings as unfair.
The award organizers describe his case as a "symbol of the persecution of peaceful dissent" in Iran. They say he has endured physical and psychological torture, lengthy solitary confinement and repeated threats of execution.
Iran’s Supreme Court twice overturned his death sentence before a Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death again in September 2024. The Supreme Court upheld that third sentence in October 2025, according to the organizers and the Sport & Rights Alliance.
However, his lawyer, Babak Paknia, announced a stay of execution in December 2025, IranWire reported. That order paused the execution without overturning his conviction. IranWire reported last month that Human Rights for Sports continued to list him among athletes facing capital punishment.
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His case has drawn support from some of the most recognizable names in sports.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova, former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, British Olympic swimming medalist Sharron Davies and three-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Nancy Hogshead signed a November 2025 appeal calling for international intervention.
Other signatories included former U.S. Olympic cyclist Inga Thompson and former Australian national soccer team captain Craig Foster.
"The world must not stand by while Iran silences its champions," the athletes’ statement said.
The World Boxing Council joined the calls to save Vafaei Sani in November 2025, urging the United Nations, International Olympic Committee and other sporting bodies to intervene.
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"From the WBC, we call on the Iranian authorities to reconsider and annul the death sentence against Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani," WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán said.
The Sport & Rights Alliance separately raised his case with the IOC, arguing that its commitments to human rights and athlete protection required action. The alliance also cited Amnesty International’s objections that the charge of "corruption on earth" fails international standards requiring clear, legally defined offenses.
Amnesty included Vafaei Sani among people at risk of execution in a May 2026 urgent action concerning Iranian protesters and dissidents.
The international solidarity campaign extended beyond sports last month. Leopoldo Maldonado, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, announced a 24-hour hunger strike in support of Iranian political prisoners, according to posts reproduced by Iran Freedom, an advocacy outlet. He highlighted Vafaei Sani among prisoners facing death sentences.
The Magnitsky Awards began in 2015 and recognize journalists, politicians and activists working to defend human rights. They are named for Sergei Magnitsky, who died in Russian custody after exposing government corruption.
Previous recipients include the late Sen. John McCain, journalist Maria Ressa and Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, according to the organizers.