Iranian boxer on death row wins human rights award as athletes push to save his life
Iranian boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani has won the 2026 Magnitsky Award for Outstanding Human Rights Activist while facing execution in Iran.
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. His prosecution involved allegations of arson and destruction of public property under the capital charge of "corruption on earth."
International Recognition
The award organizers describe his case as a "symbol of the persecution of peaceful dissent" in Iran, noting 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, with the Supreme Court upholding that third sentence in October 2025.
The world must not stand by while Iran silences its champions.
Athlete Support
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 Boxing Council joined the calls to save Vafaei Sani, urging the United Nations, International Olympic Committee and other sporting bodies to intervene.
From the WBC, we call on the Iranian authorities to reconsider and annul the death sentence against Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani.
Legal Status
His lawyer, Babak Paknia, announced a stay of execution in December 2025, which paused the execution without overturning his conviction. The Sport & Rights Alliance raised his case with the IOC, arguing that its commitments to human rights and athlete protection required action.
Amnesty International 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 when U.N. special rapporteur Leopoldo Maldonado announced a 24-hour hunger strike in support of Iranian political prisoners, highlighting Vafaei Sani among prisoners facing death sentences.
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