The Death Sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, the Protesting Athlete, Has Been 'Revoked for the Second Time'

The death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani, an athlete who was arrested following the November 2019 protests in Mashhad and remains imprisoned, has been 'revoked for the second time' by the Supreme Court. Babak Paknia, Mr. Vafaee Sani's lawyer, announced on Friday, June 8, that the Ninth Chamber of the Supreme Court, by 'not considering the initial ruling as conclusive,' referred Mr. Vafaee Sani's case 'for re-examination to an equivalent chamber.' Human rights sources have identified him as a 27-year-old champion boxer from Mashhad who was arrested in Esfand 1398 (March 2020) in connection with the protests against the sudden increase in gasoline prices. According to these sources, Mr. Vafaee Sani has been 'tortured' in prison in Mashhad to obtain forced confessions, and some have reported that one of the charges against him is supporting the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization. Babak Paknia had stated in December 2021 that the court judge had ruled on the charge of 'corruption on earth' and sentenced the accused to death. He was accused of 'arson and deliberate destruction of specific locations, including the building of the Government's Disciplinary Committee.' In July of last year, 85 human rights activists, lawyers, and representatives of non-governmental organizations sent a letter to Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, requesting assistance to stop the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaee Sani. The November 2019 protests, which initially reacted to the sudden rise in gasoline prices, quickly turned against the Islamic Republic government. However, these protests faced severe repression, resulting in hundreds of deaths. The exact number of casualties from these crackdowns is unclear, but Reuters reported at least 1,500 deaths during the November 2019 protests, citing 'three sources close to Khamenei's inner circle and a fourth official' who stated that the Supreme Leader told senior officials to 'do whatever is necessary to stop' the protests. Amnesty International, in its 2024 report published on May 30 this year, noted a 30% increase in death sentences in Iran, stating that the Islamic Republic's judiciary executed at least 853 people last year. In its 2023 report on the human rights situation in Iran, Amnesty International also stated that the Islamic Republic has doubled the execution of death sentences since 2022, and enforced disappearances, torture, and other inhumane, degrading, and brutal treatment are carried out systematically in the country.