The Secretive and Violent Transfer of a Brilliant Student Prisoner Amid Silence and Escalation
Introduction
At approximately 1:00 PM on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Ali Younesi — a gifted university student and political prisoner — was violently removed from Ward 4 of Evin Prison and transferred to an undisclosed location. Five days later, Evin Prison was targeted by missile strikes, leaving sections such as Ward 209 in ruins. Now, over twelve days after his forced transfer, there is still no information regarding Ali’s whereabouts. His family, attorney, and international human rights observers remain in the dark.
This enforced disappearance, executed under total media blackout and official silence, serves as yet another alarming indicator of systematic human rights violations in Iran’s prison system.
Who Is Ali Younesi?
Born on October 11, 2000, Ali Younesi is a computer engineering student at Sharif University of Technology, one of Iran’s most prestigious institutions. His academic accomplishments include:
- Silver medal at Iran’s National Astronomy Olympiad (2016),
- Gold medal at the same Olympiad (2017),
- Gold medal at the 12th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics held in China (2018).
On April 10, 2020, at the age of 19, Ali was arrested without a warrant. Initially accused of “links to anti-revolutionary groups,” he was later charged with far more severe offenses, including “corruption on earth” (efsad fel-arz), “collusion against national security,” and “propaganda against the regime.”
After spending over 800 days in solitary confinement, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison, later reduced to 6 years and 8 months. But Ali has never known freedom since his arrest. His continued incarceration is part of a broader effort by the regime to crush independent thought and silence the emerging generation of civil leaders.
The Disappearance: A Timeline
On June 18, 2025, intelligence agents at Evin Prison forcibly removed Ali Younesi from the kitchen of Ward 4. According to witnesses, he was beaten and dragged away without explanation, a judicial warrant, or any notice to his attorney or family. Since that moment, he has not been seen or heard from.
That same day, his sister Aida Younesi wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Today, intelligence agents violently took my brother #AliYounesi from Evin Prison to an unknown location. My mother is in shock. We don’t know where he is. Shame on those who torment prisoners even in times of war and fear.”
His brother, Reza Younesi, wrote: “Ali has been in prison for five years without a single day of leave. Today, they beat and abducted him. We don’t know where he is. Prisoners’ lives are in danger.”
UN Special Rapporteur Issues Warning
On June 25, 2025, Dr. Mai Sato, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, issued an urgent public statement: “I have received deeply disturbing reports regarding prisoner transfers from Evin Prison. The case of Ali Younesi is particularly alarming. He was reportedly forcibly removed from Ward 4 on June 18 and has since been unaccounted for. His family has no knowledge of his location.”
This statement underscores the urgent need for action. Ali’s forced disappearance places him at severe risk of torture or ill-treatment. His case must be treated as an international emergency.
Father and Son in Captivity: A Family Under Siege
Ali Younesi’s case is not an isolated story — it is the systematic destruction of an entire family.
His father, Mir Yousef Younesi, is a long-time political activist who was previously imprisoned for three years under the Shah and nine years during the 1980s for supporting the opposition group MEK. In the aftermath of the nationwide protests in December 2022, he was re-arrested without a warrant and sentenced to five years in prison.
On May 5, 2025, after visiting his son in Evin Prison, Mir Yousef was violently transferred from Ward 4 to Ward 7, a section designated for violent criminals and unsuitable for elderly or political prisoners. At nearly 70 years old, he suffers from diabetes, low blood pressure, and significant hearing loss.
In protest of his transfer, Mir Yousef began a hunger strike on May 12, 2025. His blood sugar dropped to 65 and his blood pressure to 90, putting him at serious medical risk. Despite this, prison officials not only refused to return him to an appropriate ward, but further restricted his family visits and outdoor time.
Then came the disappearance of his son, compounding the trauma and agony inflicted upon the family.
Reza Younesi wrote: “My mother is in distress. We have no answers, no information. Ali has been imprisoned for five years, and now he’s vanished.”
Aida Younesi added: “Shame on you for pouring your rage and vengeance onto prisoners. My mother has collapsed from fear and anxiety. We still don’t know where Ali is.”
This case is emblematic of collective punishment, a practice frequently used by the Iranian regime against families of political prisoners — meant to erode morale, isolate prisoners, and break the spirit of resistance.
Legal Violations
Ali Younesi’s case constitutes a clear violation of multiple international instruments:
- Articles 3, 5, 9, 10, and 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
- Articles 7 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
- Article 3 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,
- Principles 1 and 6 of the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons Under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment,
- The Nelson Mandela Rules regarding the treatment of prisoners.
Urgent Call to the International Community
Given the serious, well-documented, and systemic human rights violations in Ali Younesi’s case, we urgently call on:
- Immediate and unconditional release of Ali Younesi and his father, Mir Yousef Younesi.
- Independent, impartial investigation into allegations of torture, ill-treatment, and forced confessions, including threats and injury to Ali and his family.
- International diplomatic pressure on Iran to disclose Ali’s whereabouts and cease the practice of enforced disappearance.
- Urgent Action from Amnesty International and UN Special Rapporteurs.
- Official registration of Ali Younesi’s case as a case of enforced disappearance with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Conclusion
Where is Ali Younesi?
This simple question now echoes as a cry for truth, dignity, and urgent justice.
Further silence means complicity.
The time to stand with Ali is now — before it is too late.
