On Sunday, July 21, a court session was held to address new charges fabricated against Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi, two gifted students and political prisoners. These elite students from Sharif University of Technology were once again tried on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.” However, the shocking aspect of the court session was Ali Younesi’s absence—he has been transferred to an unknown location for over a month now, and there is no information about his condition.
According to Aida Younesi, sister of the political prisoner, “Sunday’s court session was held without Ali’s presence.” Aida Younesi wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“Yesterday was the ‘court’ date for a new case against Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi, but Ali was not brought to the court session. It’s been more than a month since my brother was abducted from Ward 4 of Evin Prison, and except for a brief phone call with my mother 21 days ago, we have no news about him.”
Iranian Political Prisoner Ali Younesi Transferred from Evin Prison to an Unknown Location
She went on to explain that their mother went to the court in the hope of seeing her son, even if for a moment, but remained behind closed doors. Ali Younesi’s lawyers also protested their client’s absence in the session. Addressing judicial and security officials, Aida Younesi posed the following question:
“Where is Ali? Why are you depriving him of his most basic rights such as contact with family and lawyer?”
New case fabricated against elite students
In the new case, Amirhossein Moradi was also tried on charges of “propaganda against the regime through publishing multiple statements from prison.” The court session was held at Branch 29 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ali Mazloum. Reports indicate that Moradi appeared in court in handcuffs and shackles and was interrogated and tried under tight security measures.
Meanwhile, there has been no official explanation from the judiciary regarding the reason for Ali Younesi’s absence or his current place of detention.
The abduction of Ali Younesi from Evin Prison
Ali Younesi, a political prisoner and computer engineering student at Sharif University of Technology, was suddenly and violently transferred on Wednesday, June 18, from Ward 4 of Evin Prison to Ward 209, which is operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Intelligence.
Unofficial reports suggest that following an attack on Evin Prison and damage to certain sections of the facility, he was moved to an unknown location. Since then, there has been no information about his health, whereabouts, or conditions.
Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi were arrested on April 10, 2020, by security agents. The arrest was carried out without a judicial warrant and involved severe violence.
Amirhossein Moradi is a physics student at Sharif University and the recipient of the national silver medal in the Astronomy Olympiad in 2017.
Ali Younesi, a computer engineering student at Sharif University, won the national silver medal in Astronomy Olympiad in 2016, the gold medal in 2017, and the gold medal in the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad held in China.
After 808 days of detention in solitary confinement and security wards, on June 26, 2022, the two elite students were transferred to Evin’s general wards following a harsh sentence of 16 years in prison.
Ali Younesi’s sister stressed in her message:
“My brother was even deprived of the fundamental right to be present at his own court session. He has been abducted for more than a month, and the authorities give us no answers. This behavior is against all legal and human standards.”
