In a message from Mashhad’s Vakil Abad prison, death row prisoner and boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani says he will continue his resistance and remain committed to what he describes as the path of freedom and justice.
Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, an Iranian boxing champion, coach, and political prisoner sentenced to death, has sent a new message from prison reaffirming his support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and expressing his determination to continue resisting despite facing execution.
Vafaei Sani was arrested in March 2020 and later sentenced to death. His case has drawn international attention from athletes, human rights advocates, and political figures. In recent years, numerous athletes and sports figures have voiced support for him and called for the death sentence against him to be overturned, citing concerns over due process and the treatment of political prisoners in Iran.
On June 5, a group of international athletes and Olympians condemned the wave of executions in Iran and voiced support for prisoners facing execution.
The appeal by athletes included tennis legend Martina Navratilova, Olympic medalist Sharron Davies, former Australian national football team captain Craig Foster, and other sports figures.
In a personal note accompanying his latest message, Vafaei Sani wrote:
“You didn’t broadcast my previous messages. I beg you, in the most sensitive moments of my life, let this one be broadcast.”
The following is the full text of his letter:
In the Name of God,
I praise the flawless Creator for His endless blessings, and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad and his family, whose radiant light of prophethood saved us from the ultimate darkness of the nights of disbelief.
In the name of my homeland, Iran, whose greatest pride and hardest choice in the darkest periods of history is the path of Imam Ali and his teachings.
And in the name of my Mojahed brothers and sisters, who are symbols of pride, hope, and sacrifice. They have suffered for years to achieve independence, freedom, and to defend the oppressed masses of the country, and at the cost of their lives, they cry out for justice and freedom. I learned from them that my life and existence must align with the words of Imam Ali, who says:
“By God, I will not rest until I establish the truth and overthrow falsehood.”
In the hardest and most sensitive moments of my life, nothing remains for me but faith in the words of the Quran at the end of Verse 4 of Surah Al-Hadid:
“And He is with you wherever you are, and Allah sees well all that you do.”
I raise my hands in prayer, and simply and briefly, I ask Him to increase my will and courage at this time, and to accept from me my loyalty to the oppressed, to the truth, and to the freedom of the people of my land.
We, the deprived of the most transcendent human heritage of our land, who have been oppressed for a long time, now have no choice but to stand up to defend our people, our future, and our freedom.
We will not surrender, and we have proven that we possess the most formidable weapon possible, which is our faith and righteousness. Our existence is but one belief, and our life is but one word. Without a doubt, the will of God is above all wills, and life and death are only by His will.
Our presence on the path of truth and honor is the very path of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which is a blessing and a grace from our Lord. With faith in this goal, and a greater faith that God is with us on this path, we will continue our resistance.
I wish health and victory for Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, Massoud Rajavi, and all the Mojahedin.
Hoping for the day of freedom and pride for the people of my homeland.
Long live the Democratic Republic of Iran – Salute to Rajavi.
May God grant us success.
May 18, 2026
Vafaei Sani remains on death row as international concern continues over the growing number of political prisoners facing execution in Iran. Human rights organizations have repeatedly called for his sentence to be overturned and for greater scrutiny of political prosecutions and death penalty cases in the country.