The life of political prisoner and national boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani is in grave danger in Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison, yet his resolve remains unbreakable. The 30-year-old athlete and coach was arrested in January 2020 following nationwide protests and was subjected to 65 days of intense physical and psychological torture aimed at extracting forced confessions regarding his support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
In a blatant travesty of justice driven by the Ministry of Intelligence, Vafaei’s death sentence has been upheld for a third time. The legal proceedings have been so deeply flawed that even the regime’s own Supreme Court was forced to overturn the death sentence twice—first in late 2022 and again in mid-2024. However, yielding to the unlawful interference of security services who are determined to secure a political execution, the regime’s judiciary has once again confirmed his death sentence and rejected his request for a retrial.
Despite sitting on death row and facing imminent execution, Vafaei Sani has fearlessly insisted that his voice be heard, regardless of the consequences. In a newly published letter sent from prison, he issued an urgent and moving plea: “You didn’t broadcast my previous messages. I beg you, in the most sensitive moments of my life, let this one be broadcast.”
In his letter, he pays tribute to his PMOI brothers and sisters who “at the cost of their lives, cry out for justice and freedom.” Embodying this unyielding spirit, he declared: “We will not surrender, and we have proven that the most formidable weapon possible, which is our faith and righteousness, is in our possession.”
Recognizing that the deprived people of Iran have been subjected to long-standing oppression, he powerfully concluded that the Iranian people “now have no choice but to stand up to defend our people, our future, and our freedom.”
A desperate regime’s execution spree
Vafaei’s case is unfolding against the backdrop of a systematic and brutal crackdown by the ruling mullahs. Exploiting wartime conditions, the regime has resorted to relentless mass executions of political prisoners in a desperate bid to block the path of popular uprisings.
Since the start of the war, the regime has been executing political prisoners one after another. This includes eight members of the PMOI who were part of the Resistance Units, as well as more than 20 young people who fought against the Revolutionary Guards or participated in uprisings.
These staggering statistics lay bare the regime’s deep fear of collapse. The mullahs are attempting to hide their weak position behind the noise of war, but they have no answer for a society that is primed for the next uprising, particularly as Resistance Units continue to fight the Revolutionary Guards in cities across Iran.
The regime’s ultimate goal is to terrorize the public and intimidate dissidents into silence. But Mohammad Javad’s profound words, rooted in the 60-year history of the PMOI’s struggle against the dictatorships of both the Shah and the mullahs, prove that the flame of freedom burns as fiercely as ever, representing a force that the regime’s executions cannot destroy.
Time is running out for Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani and several other political prisoners accused of membership in the PMOI who currently face death sentences.
Urgent action must be taken by the international community to save their lives. To honor his bravery and fulfill his explicit request to the world, the full text of Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani’s letter is published below.
Message of political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, boxing champion and symbol of resistance, from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, following his third death sentence
(Personal note): You didn’t broadcast my previous messages. I beg you, in the most sensitive moments of my life, let this one be broadcast.
In the Name of God,
I praise the flawless Creator for His endless blessings, and peace be upon 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 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