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Riley Gaines is among a number of athletes who signed a letter criticizing the Iranian regime for sentencing boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani to death, per an exclusive report from Fox News Digital. Gaines is joined by tennis star Martina Navratilova, former gold medalist Nancy Hogshead, an Olympian swimmer from the UK, Sharron Davies, runner Carilyn Johnson and U.S. cyclist Inga Thompson. The letter asks the United Nations, global governments, and sporting federations to step in and stop Iran from executing Vafaei Sani. "We, athletes and sports figures from around the world, strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s decision on 4 October 2025 to uphold the death sentence of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 30-year-old boxing champion and coach from Mashhad," it says. "Mohammad Javad has spent more than five years in prison under torture and solitary confinement for taking part in the 2019 pro-democracy protests and supporting the democratic opposition PMOI (MEK). His case is not an isolated tragedy. "Iran has a grim history of executing athletes for their beliefs, including the captain of the national football team, Habib Khabiri, and the captain of the national women's volleyball team, Forouzan Abdi, the latter executed alongside 30,000 political prisoners during the 1988 massacre. In 2020, Iranian wrestling champion Navid Afkari was executed after participating in peaceful protests in 2018." Iran Continues To Be An Extremist State Under Current Regime "In recent months, the Iranian authorities have executed numerous other protesters on similar bogus charges with total impunity. These political executions are a callous attempt by the authorities to frighten and silence an increasingly restive population no longer willing to accept their corrupt and oppressive rule. "Sport is meant to inspire hope, unity, and courage. The execution of a champion for his political views is a direct assault on these values and a warning to every athlete who dares to speak out." The Iranian regime continues to be an ever present danger on the international stage, which is why President Donald Trump took action to prevent them from building a nuclear weapon earlier in 2025. Their funding and support for terrorism allows Hamas and the Houthis in Yemen to continue their mission of murdering innocent people. And the oppression of the Iranian people has led to widespread dissatisfaction with the regime. Their criminalization of dissenting views led directly to this sentence. Vafaei Sani was arrested in 2020 for supporting an organization within Iran that does not support the current regime. His first death sentence was overturned, only for the Revolutionary Court to unilaterally reinstate it, with no new evidence. Now, likely as a result of pressure from the top, his sentence has been upheld. Gaines and Navratilova have wildly different political views, but have been able to come together on important issues. This sentence and the injustice it represents is one, and the protection of women's sports from transgender athletes is another. It's a valuable lesson in working together, even across party lines, to speak up for what's right.
