# Iranian boxer on death row receives award for human rights activism

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/boxer-on-death-row-in-iran-vows-not-to-bow-before-oppression-after-winning-rights-prize/
- Published: 2026-11-13T06:00:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-13T06:13:32+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/nov/13/mohammad-javad-vafaei-sani-iran-boxer-death-row-magnitsky-award
- Topics: Middle East, World

## Key points

- Iranian boxer Vafaei Sani received a human rights award while on death row.
- He has been sentenced to death three times.
- Campaigners say seven Iranian athletes face execution.

## Summary

Iranian boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, who is on death row, has received the Magnitsky award for outstanding human rights activism. In a message from prison, he said he would not surrender and dedicated the award to people imprisoned or sentenced to death for seeking a free Iran.

The 31-year-old was arrested in 2020 after taking part in 2019 democracy protests and was sentenced to death for a third time in 2024; Iran’s supreme court upheld the sentence in October 2025. Human rights groups say he was tortured and held in prolonged solitary confinement, while campaigners have called for his release. The article reports that at least 710 people have been executed in Iran in 2026, and seven athletes are currently at risk of execution.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.