Tag: Ali Younesi

Mir-Yousef Younesi Goes on Hunger Strike in Evin Prison

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News, Prisoners
Aida Younesi, Ali Younesi, Evin Prison, Mir-Yousef Younesi, Shahrud

HRANA News Agency – Mir-Yousef Younesi began a hunger strike yesterday, May 13, in protest of his transfer to Ward 7 of Evin Prison.

His daughter, Aida Younesi, shared in a statement: “My father began a hunger strike today, Tuesday, May 13, in protest of new pressures, his unlawful transfer to Ward 7, and the inhumane conditions in that ward. A week has passed since his transfer, and despite protests, letters, and promises from prison officials to return him to Ward 4, nothing has changed. He was arrested on political charges, which are not compatible with placement in Ward 7. He is deprived of basic facilities, and his access to fresh air and phone calls has been severely restricted. Even the officials of Ward 7 said from the start that this ward is not suitable for my father, an elderly and ill man, and that the transfer would last only two to three days.”

Mr. Younesi had previously been sentenced in January 2024 to five years in prison by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

His trial was held on December 31, 2023. According to his daughter, Aida, he was not brought to the courtroom for refusing to wear a prison uniform, and the judge did not allow the lawyers to defend him.

One of Mr. Younesi’s children stated that he lost hearing in one ear during his detention, and the other ear has also become impaired, while he has consistently been denied proper medical care.

Younesi was arrested in Shahrud on December 28, 2022. After 107 days of solitary confinement in Wards 240 and 209, and later being held in closed multi-person cells in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, he was transferred to the general ward of Evin.

Mir-Yousef Younesi is the father of Ali Younesi, a student currently imprisoned in Evin. Ali Younesi won a silver medal in Iran’s National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and a gold medal in 2017. He also earned first place by winning a gold medal at the 12th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics held in China. He and another detained student from the same university, Amirhossein Moradi, are currently serving their prison sentences in Evin.

HRANA’s data from the past decade shows that during this ten-year period, over 2,050 political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Iran prisons have been forced to go on hunger strike in protest of various abuses—including prolonged detention, being held in legal limbo, unfair trials, poor prison conditions, and being held in solitary confinement or alongside inmates convicted of violent crimes.

Iran Reduces Prison Sentences for Political Prisoners Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Younesi, Amirhossein Moradi, Evin Prison, Mostafa Nili, امیرحسین مرادی, علی یونسی

HRANA News Agency – Attorney Mostafa Nili has announced a reduction in the prison sentences of Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi, two political prisoners. Following the Supreme Court’s approval of their retrial, a parallel judicial branch lowered their maximum sentences from 10 years to 6 years and 8 months. Previously, they had been sentenced to a combined total of 32 years in prison.

According to Nili, this reduction was first applied to Amirhossein Moradi and has now been extended to Ali Younesi as well.

On June 25, 2022, more than two years after their arrest, Younesi and Moradi were transferred from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility (Ward 209 of Evin Prison) to the prison’s general ward.

In May 2022, Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals upheld their original convictions. The two Sharif University of Technology students had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for destruction and arson of public property as their most serious charge. They also received 5 years for conspiracy against national security and 1 year for propaganda against the regime.

Arrest and Allegations

Ali Younesi, a computer engineering student, and Amirhossein Moradi, a physics student, were arrested on April 10, 2020, by Ministry of Intelligence agents. The arrest, conducted by plainclothes officers without a judicial warrant and involving physical violence, sparked widespread condemnation.

On May 5, 2020, Gholamhossein Esmaeili, spokesperson for Iran’s Judiciary, accused them of collaborating with an opposition group (MEK). Shortly after, Aida Younesi, Ali Younesi’s sister, publicly rejected these allegations, attributing them to their parents’ history as former political prisoners in the 1980s.

Academic Achievements

Amirhossein Moradi won the silver medal in Iran’s 2017 National Astronomy Olympiad, while Ali Younesi won the silver medal in 2016 and the gold medal in 2017. Younesi also won gold in the 12th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, held in China, securing first place in the competition.

Their arrests and heavy sentences have drawn international criticism, with human rights organizations calling for their immediate release.

Mir-Yousef Younesi Receives Five-Year Prison Term

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Younesi, Evin Prison, Mir-Yousef Younesi, MirYousef Younesi

The Tehran Revolutionary Court has sentenced Mir-Yousef Younesi to five years in prison. Notably, his son, Ali Younesi, is currently incarcerated in Evin Prison.

The verdict was issued by Iman Afshari, presiding over Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Reza Younesi, the other son of Mir-Yousef Younesi, revealed his father’s conviction to the public, expressing concern over the handling of the case. “My father was denied the opportunity to attend the court proceedings due to his refusal to wear the prison uniform. Additionally, the judge prohibited his attorney from presenting defense arguments,” he stated.

Mir-Yousef Younesi was arrested on December 28, 2022, at his residence in Shahrud by security forces.

Ali Younesi, a student at Sharif University of Technology, is serving his sentence in Evin Prison. He has earned notable achievements, including the silver medal in the National Astronomy Olympiad (2016), the gold medal in the 2017 Astronomy Olympiad, and a gold medal in the 12th World Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad held in China.

Reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of HRA in 2023 indicate a total of 193 cases in which Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, has been involved in issuing verdicts that infringe upon the human rights of defendants.

Mir-Yousef Younsei Arrested in Shahrud

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Younesi, Mir-Yousef Younsei, Shahrud, Sharif University of Technology

On December 28, 2022, security forces arrested Mir-Yousef Younesi, father of imprisoned student Ali Younesi, in Shahrud, Semnan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on December 28, 2022,  Mir-Yousef Younesi was arrested in Shahrud.

Breaking this news on social media, his son Reza Younsei wrote: “Today, without showing any arrest warrant, six plainclothes agents arrested Mir-Yousef Younesi, Ali Younesi’s father, at my grandfather’s home in Shahrud.”

The reason for Younsei’s arrest and the charges are unknown.

Ali Younesi, a student of the Sharif University of Technology, is currently serving his sentence in Evin Prison. He is the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and the gold medal of the 2017 Astronomy Olympiad. Ali Younesi has also won a gold medal in the 12th World Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in China.

Students Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi Sentenced Each to Sixteen Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Younesi, Amir Hossein Moradi, Sharif University of Technology

The Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced two detained Iranian students Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi to a total of 32 years in prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi, two students of the Sharif University of Technology, were each sentenced to 16 years in prison.

According to the verdict issued by Branch 29 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, the two individuals have been charged with ” spreading corruption on earth, assembly and collusion against the regime, and propaganda against the regime.”
Earlier, lawyer Mostafa Nili informed the public about holding the last court session for Younesi and Moradi on April 17, 2022.

On April 10, 2020, the security forces arrested the two students violently and without presenting an arrest warrant, sending them to Ward 209 of Evin prison.

On May 5, 2020, the Spokesman of the judiciary accused Younesi and Moradi of collaboration with The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (the Mujahedin-e-Khalq or MEK)”. However, in a video record circulating on social media, Ayda Younesi, Ali Younesi’s sister, denied such an accusation. In September of 2020, she revealed that his brother had been under pressure to make a TV confession. In November of that year, Ali Younsei contracted Covid-19 in prison.
 
Amir Hossein Moradi is the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2017. Ali Younesi is the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and the gold medal of the 2017 Astronomy Olympiad. Ali Younesi has also won a gold medal in the 12th World Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in China.

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Nobel Laureates and Prominent Academics Demand Immediate Release of Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi

Posted on by A MN
Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
Ali Younesi, Amirhossein Moradi, nobel, Randy Wayne Schekman

In a joint letter, a group of Nobel laureates and prominent academics urged Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to ask that the Iranian regime release two detained Iranian students, Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on the 18 January, in a joint letter, 16 Nobel laureates and prominent scholars called for the immediate release of Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi.

Earlier, on May 15, 2020, in an open letter, several Nobel laureates asked UN high commissioner, Michelle Bachelet to put efforts to ensure the immediate release of the two students.

Professor Noam Chomsky (linguist and philosopher), Randy Wayne Schekman ( Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2013), Barry Barish (Nobel Laureate in Physics in 2017) and Richard John Roberts (Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993) are among the writers of this letter.

On April 10, 2020, these two Sharif University of Technology students were violently arrested. Since the arrest, they have been subjected to torture-tainted interrogations to make forced confessions on television.

Amir Hossein Moradi is the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2017. Ali Younesi is the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and the gold medal of the 2017 Astronomy Olympiad. Ali Younesi also won a gold medal in the 12th World Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in China.

450 Days After Their Arrest, Court Holds Trial for Elite Students Amir Hossein Moradi and Ali Younesi

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Prisoners, Students
Ali Younesi, Amir Hossein Moradi, Evin, Evin Prison, Hossein Moradi, Sharif University, Sharif University of Technology, Younesi

On Saturday, July 3, the trial of Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi was held at Branch 29 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the two Sharif University of Technology students have been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence since April of last year.

The students are being charged with “Corruption on earth”. Mr. Nili, the detainees’ lawyer, had previously stated that after more than 14 months, the defendants are still being held in Security Ward 209 of Evin Prison, and not transferring them to the public ward has made the defense process difficult. At the request of the case officer, the defendants have so far been denied transfer to a public prison.

Ali Younesi, a computer engineering student, and Amir Hossein Moradi, a physics student at the Sharif University of Technology, were arrested in April 2020 by the Ministry of Intelligence agents. The students are said to have been violently detained by plainclothes officers without a court order.

Gholamhossein Esmaili, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, accused these students of collaborating with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran in May 2020.
Ali Younesi’s sister, Aida Younesi, later denied the allegations against her brother in a video posted on the Internet. In September 2020, Aida Younesi announced that she was under pressure to confess against her brother on TV.

Amir Hossein Moradi was the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2017. Ali Younesi was the winner of the silver medal of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and the gold medal of the 2017 Astronomy Olympiad. Ali Younesi also won a gold medal in the 12th World Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad in China.