Iranian Boxer on Death Row Receives Magnitsky Award
Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani received the Magnitsky award in London while imprisoned on death row in Iran for his role in democracy protests.
The Magnitsky Justice Foundation granted the Magnitsky award for outstanding human rights activist to Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani during a ceremony in London on November 13, 2026. Vafaei Sani is an Iranian boxing champion currently detained in Vakilabad prison on death row.
Authorities arrested Vafaei Sani in 2020 for participating in 2019 democracy protests and accused him of supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran. He has received three death sentences, with the supreme court upholding the final sentence on October 4, 2025, following a conviction for "corruption on Earth."
In a written message, Vafaei Sani vowed that he will "never surrender" and called for a free and democratic Iran. Sir William Browder of the Magnitsky Justice Foundation stated that international attention makes it harder for the Iranian regime to execute Vafaei Sani quietly.
Human rights organizations report that Vafaei Sani is one of seven athletes currently at risk of execution in Iran. This follows the recent executions of a mountaineer and two martial arts athletes.
