According to Iran Human Rights Society political prisoners Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi, detained in Evin Prison, have issued a message on the occasion of the second anniversary of the 2022 nationwide protests in Iran and the beginning of the new academic year. Both prisoners are elite Sharif University of Technology students, known for their academic achievements in engineering and physics. They were arrested in April 2020 on charges related to their alleged support for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
In their statement, Younesi and Moradi referenced a recent speech by Masoud Pezeshkian, the new president, criticizing his disingenuous claim that students have the right to protest while failing to mention the severe consequences they face afterward. The prisoners emphasized that the right to protest, which is fundamental to democracy and people’s sovereignty, must be reclaimed alongside the people at any cost.
Their message, addressed to fellow students and protesters, highlights the sacrifices made by those who have turned the streets into arenas of resistance. They recognize the importance of students in both schools and universities, who continue to fight for freedom, even as many are barred from entering educational institutions due to their activism.
Younesi and Moradi stress the significance of this generation, calling it the “generation of uprising,” a reference to the protesters who fought during the 2022 protests. They remind the regime that the students who resisted in schools are now entering universities, and the experiences of past uprisings live on in the current generation.
The two political prisoners predict that the Iranian regime is increasingly fearful of the academic year’s start, as schools and universities have become focal points for anti-government protests. The regime must now prepare for responses not only from the streets but also from educational institutions, they warned.
In their final words, Younesi and Moradi express solidarity with fellow detainees, stating that despite the prison walls, they remain united with the people. They foretell an inevitable nationwide uprising that will continue until the downfall of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Younesi and Moradi, both decorated with national and international awards in astronomy, have been subjected to extreme measures during their detention. They were arrested in April 2020 by security forces, who raided their homes without judicial warrants and subjected them to brutal beatings. Younesi suffered a severe head injury during his arrest by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Both men were held in solitary confinement for over two years before being transferred to the general ward of Evin Prison in June 2022. After facing closed trials, they were sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges of acting against national security. Younesi’s father, Miri Yusef Younesi, has also been imprisoned since the 2022 protests and was sentenced to five years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
