Five Years in Captivity: The Ongoing Injustice

 April 10, 2025, marks the fifth anniversary of the unjust arrest and detention of two of Iran’s brightest students, Ali Younesi (b. March 4, 2001) and Amirhossein Moradi (b. February 19, 2001). As members of the International Community of Iranian Academics, we are compelled to mark this grim milestone by revisiting their case and reaffirming our demand for their immediate and unconditional release. 

 Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi were award-winning students at Iran’s prestigious Sharif University of Technology.

• Ali Younesi won a gold medal at the 12th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in Beijing, China, 2018 [1].
  
  
• Amirhossein Moradi earned a silver medal in Iran’s National Astronomy Olympiad 2017.

Their achievements made them rising stars in Iran’s scientific community—until they were abruptly targeted and imprisoned by state authorities.

April 10, 2020 – Violent Arrest
Iranian security forces arrested Younesi and Moradi in a coordinated, violent raid. Both were visibly injured and showed signs of physical abuse during later appearances [2][3][4][5].

April–May 2020 – Solitary Confinement & Denial of Legal Rights
Both students were held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison’s Ward 209, under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence. They were denied legal representation and barred from contacting their families [3][6].

May 5, 2020 – Baseless Accusations
Judiciary spokesperson Gholamhossein Esmaili accused them of ties to the opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK)—a charge never supported by credible evidence [7].

July 2020 – They were interrogated 'In Public' meeting [8].

May 3, 2022 – UN Special Rapporteurs sent a formal communication to the Iranian government regarding the arbitrary detention of Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi. They expressed concern over violations of due process, ill-treatment, and the politically motivated nature of the charges.

April 25, 2022 – Revolutionary Court in Iran sentenced university students Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi to 16 years in prison on spurious national security charges after a grossly unfair trial [9].

July 15, 2022 – The Iranian government responded to the UN Special Rapporteurs’ letter by denying any violations of legal procedure and asserting that Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi had been convicted based on national security charges. Iran claimed that all judicial processes were carried out in accordance with domestic laws and international obligations [10].

2022–2023 – Family Harassment
Iranian intelligence officials repeatedly harassed the students' families. Ali's parents faced interrogations, threats, and home raids. Amir's sister was threatened, her cellphone was seized, and her house was raided. They were explicitly warned not to speak to the media or international organizations [11]. 

In April 2022, both students were sentenced to 16 years in prison on vague "national security" charges after trials lacking due process [12]. Their convictions were reportedly based on coerced confessions obtained under duress.

While imprisoned, Younesi and Moradi became symbols of resistance:

• In September 2023, they began a hunger strike protesting their unjust incarceration [13].
  
  
• Since November 2024, they have actively participated in the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign, coordinating peaceful protests from inside prison [14].

In March 2025, Iran’s Supreme Court ordered a retrial, reducing their sentence to 6 years and 8 months [15]. However, the retrial did not address the due process violations or the coerced nature of their confessions. Both students remain imprisoned, wrongfully and without fair trial protections. 

• Amnesty International called the students’ trial a "sham" and demanded their immediate release [16].
  Human Rights Watch (HRW) decried the use of prolonged solitary confinement and arbitrary detention against student activists [17].
  Scholars at Risk (SAR) issued alerts and letters urging the global academic community to speak out [18][19].
• The Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS) published open letters and coordinated action with Nobel laureates [20][21].
• Nobel Laureates ask UN to demand release of two students jailed in Iran [22].
• More than 170 professors and students of Sharif University wrote a letter to the Iranian authorities demanding their release [23].
  Several universities, including the University of Genoa, issued public statements of solidarity [24]. 

 We urge:

• Universities, researchers, and students worldwide to raise awareness and advocate for their release.
• Governments to bring their cases into diplomatic and human rights dialogues with Iran.
• The UN and international organizations to intensify pressure for accountability.
• The global academic and scientific community to stand in solidarity with at-risk scholars.

 Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi have spent five years in prison for their brilliance, courage, and dedication to truth. Their imprisonment represents a broader assault on academic freedom, youth activism, and freedom of expression in Iran. We, at the International Community of Iranian Academics (ICOIA), will not rest until they—and all persecuted scholars—are free. 

1. Iranian students stand first at IOAA 2018, Mehr News Agency, https://en.mehrnews.com/news/139526/Iranian-students-stand-first-at-IOAA-2018
2. Cellmate Describes Torture and Humiliation of Top Student in Evin Prison, IranWire 2021, https://iranwire.com/en/features/69367/
3. Iran: Tortured Students Jailed Unjustly, Amnesty International 2022, https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/tortured-students-jailed-unjustly
4. Award-Winning Astronomy Student Arrested In Iran And Family Asks Why, RadioFarda 2020, https://en.radiofarda.com/a/astronomy-award-winning-student-arrested-in-iran-and-family-asks-why/30577400.html
5. Sharif University Honor Students Tortured, Detained in High-Security Ward, Center for Human Rights in Iran 2021, https://iranhumanrights.org/2021/04/sharif-university-honor-students-tortured-detained-in-high-security-ward/
6. Two Honor Students, Violently Arrested, Still Detained Without Charge Six Months Later, Center for Human Rights in Iran 2020, https://iranhumanrights.org/2020/10/two-honor-students-violently-arrested-still-detained-without-charge-six-months-later/
7. Iran Judiciary Accuses Detained Students Of Terrorist Affiliations, RadioFarda 2020 https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-judiciary-accuses-detained-students-of-terrorist-affiliations/30593802.html
8. Two Detained Award-Winning Iranian Students Interrogated 'In Public', RadioFarda 2020, https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-two-detained-award-winning-students-interrogated-in-public-/30734582.html
9. Iran: Tortured students jailed unjustly: Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi, Amnesty International 2022, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/5920/2022/en/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
10. https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadFile?gId=37028
11. https://x.com/HRANA_English/status/1609873755735482371?s=20&t=-f1pgR66i1Tt9r6e4fMYRw
12. Iran: Tortured Students Jailed Unjustly, Amnesty International 2022, https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/tortured-students-jailed-unjustly
13. Two imprisoned elite students, Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi, on hunger strike, Iran Human Rights Monitor (2023) https://iran-hrm.com/2023/09/15/two-imprisoned-elite-students-ali-younesi-and-amir-hossein-moradi-on-hunger-strike/
14. A Year of Resistance Inside Iran’s Prisons Against Executions, Center for Human Rights in Iran 2025, https://iranhumanrights.org/2025/01/a-year-of-resistance-inside-irans-prisons-against-executions/
15. Iran reduces sentences for political prisoners Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi. HRANA (2025) https://www.en-hrana.org/iran-reduces-prison-sentences-for-political-prisoners-ali-younesi-and-amirhossein-moradi/
16. Iran: Young prisoners of conscience sentenced after grossly unfair trial, Amnesty International. (2022) https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/5920/2022/en
17. Iran: Free Students in Long Solitary Confinement, Human Rights Watch (2020).  https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/06/iran-free-students-long-solitary
18. Intervene to Help Sharif University of Technology Students, Scholars at Risk 2022, https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/2022/03/intervene-to-help-sharif-university-of-technology-students/
19. Extend amnesty to remaining imprisoned scholars and students, Scholars at Risk 2023, https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/2023/03/extend-amnesty-to-remaining-imprisoned-scholars-and-students/
20. International Astronomy Olympiad Winner Jailed in Iran, Committee of Concerned Scientists 2020, https://concernedscientists.org/2020/05/international-astronomy-olympiad-winner-jailed-in-iran/
21. Two Sharif University students held for almost two years on charge of “corruption on earth.” Committee of Concerned Scientists 2022, https://concernedscientists.org/2022/02/two-sharif-university-students-held-for-almost-two-years-on-charge-of-corruption-on-earth/
22. Nobel Laureates Ask UN To Demand Release Of Two Students Jailed In Iran, IranInternational 2022, https://www.iranintl.com/en/202201237993
23. Students Ask Khamenei To Stop Illegal Actions In Cases of Jailed Students, IranInternational 2021, https://old.iranintl.com/en/iran-in-brief/students-ask-khamenei-stop-illegal-actions-cases-jailed-students

The Rector signs the petitions for the Iranian students, 2020 https://unige.it/en/news/4863-the-dean-signs-to-release-iranian-students