Freedom Is a Stolen Right; We Fight to Reclaim It
Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi, two elite students at Sharif University of Technology, have declared from prison that they do not accept the “pardon” offered by the ruling regime in Iran. Their position came in response to notifications and reports suggesting that they had been included in the regime’s “22 Bahman pardon.”
Why did these two political prisoners reject the “pardon”?
Their answer was clear: freedom is a right, not a governmental favor.
Ali Younesi:
“I have never requested a pardon, nor will I ever do so… I have role models: six proud cellmates who were sent to the gallows. They did not bargain for their lives. Shame on me if I bargain for my freedom.”
“Freedom is a right that has been stolen. We do not beg for stolen rights; we fight to reclaim them.”
“Is it we who should forgive, or you?!!!”
Amirhossein Moradi:
“I did not ask for your disgraceful pardon, and I do not want it. We are in the position to forgive you; but know this with certainty: we neither forgive nor forget.”
“The regime seeks to divert public attention from the executions of political prisoners through displays of pardons.”
“Until the people of Iran are free, I will not even think about my own release from prison.”
Who is Ali Younesi?
Computer engineering student at Sharif University of Technology.
Silver medalist in Iran’s National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016.
Gold medalist in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in China in 2017.
Political prisoner currently held in Qezel Hesar Prison.
Who is Amirhossein Moradi?
Physics student at Sharif University of Technology.
Silver medalist in Iran’s National Astronomy Olympiad in 2017.
Political prisoner currently held in Evin Prison.
When were they arrested?
April 10, 2020.
Arrested by security forces without judicial warrants.
Security raids on their homes.
Transferred to solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
Months of interrogations and security pressure.
What sentences were they given?
July 26, 2022: sentenced to 16 years in prison after 808 days of detention and confinement in security wards.
July 20, 2025: new trial on charges of “propaganda against the regime.”
Hearing was held in Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court under Judge Seyed Ali Mazloum.
Amirhossein Moradi appeared in court in handcuffs and shackles.
Ali Younesi’s hearing was held in absentia.
Where is Ali Younesi now?
Transferred from Ward 4 of Evin Prison to Ward 209 controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence.
Later transferred to Qezel Hesar Prison.
Family members and lawyers protested his exclusion from court proceedings and restrictions on communication.
Why does this case go beyond two prisoners?
Two elite students.
Two Astronomy Olympiad medalists.
Years of prison, solitary confinement, security trials, and repeated prosecutions.
And ultimately;
The rejection of “pardon” in protest against the executions of political prisoners.
These two political prisoners rejected the regime’s “pardon” while executions and pressure against political prisoners in Iran continue to intensify.
