Boxer on death row in Iran vows ‘not to bow before oppression’ after winning rights prize
An Iranian boxer sentenced to death has accepted a prestigious human rights prize in London, vowing to never surrender to the regime.
Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, an Iranian boxing champion and political prisoner, accepted the Magnitsky award for outstanding human rights activist at a ceremony in London on Thursday night. The 31-year-old is currently on death row in Iran after being sentenced to death three times.
In a written message from Vakilabad prison, he said he accepted the award in the name of all those who have been imprisoned, tortured, threatened, or sentenced to death for aspiring to a free Iran. He described the regime's demands for repentance and televised confessions as an attempt to humiliate him and his comrades.
The regime demands repentance, televised confessions and surrender from us. But our answer is clear: ‘We will never surrender; we will never submit to humiliation.’
Vafaei Sani was arrested in 2020 for taking part in nationwide democracy protests and accused of supporting the opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK). He was convicted of “corruption on Earth” and sentenced to death for a third time in September 2024 following a grossly unfair trial, according to Amnesty International.
The supreme court upheld his death sentence on 4 October 2025. He has been tortured and held in solitary confinement for extended periods since his arrest. His continued imprisonment has drawn widespread international condemnation from prominent sportspeople, human rights organisations, and legal experts.
Growing international concern
The Magnitsky awards are named after the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who died in Russian police custody after exposing government corruption. The awards began in 2015 as a way to recognise journalists, politicians, and activists in the field of human rights.
Sir William Browder, head of the Magnitsky Justice Foundation, said Vafaei Sani’s case was emblematic of the plight of many Iranians who face execution for standing against the regime. The awards are a tool to draw global attention to such cases.
The Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights reports that at least 710 people have been executed in Iran since the beginning of 2026, including 79 political and religious prisoners. In an October report, the organisation documented at least 106 death sentences against January protest detainees, 35 of whom had already been executed.
In Vakilabad prison, where Vafaei Sani is detained, five people have been executed linked to the protests and 15 others are facing death sentences. His award comes at a time when there are growing fears for imprisoned Iranian athletes, who are considered role models in the country.
A rallying point
Zohreh Abdollahkhani, founder of Human Rights for Sport, said the situation is really dire and that there are seven athletes at risk of execution now, including Vafaei Sani. She noted that Ali-Sina Mostafavi, a mountaineer, was executed on 14 October after the anti-government protests.
His death followed the killing of Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi, a taekwondo athlete, earlier that month, and the mixed martial arts fighter Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, who was hanged in May. Abdollahkhani said people had been celebrating Vafaei Sani’s award.
In his message, Vafaei Sani expressed his desire for a free and democratic Iran where people vote freely, women and men are equal, and there is no discrimination. He added that he remains steadfast in his pledge and will not bow before oppression until the people of Iran are free.
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