Amnesty International Warns of Execution Danger for Ali Younesee and Amirhossein Moradi

Amnesty International has warned of the execution risk for two imprisoned students in Iran: Ali Younesee and Amirhossein Moradi. These two elite students have been in prison since spring of last year and have been accused of corruption on earth (Fasad Fi-l-Ard).

Amnesty International, through an open letter to Mohseni Ejei, the head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, demanded immediate action for two imprisoned students in Iran: Ali Younesee and Amirhossein Moradi. These two elite students have been held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison since spring 2020 and are at risk of being sentenced to death.

The letter states that these two young men have been beaten and held in solitary confinement for 60 days in order to extract forced confessions from them.

According to Amnesty International’s report, Ali Younesee informed his family that due to beatings, his left eye has been injured, but he has been denied medical services. He also stated that his cell light has been on 24 hours a day, leaving him with no sense of day and night, which has caused him psychological distress and pain in his head and eyes.

Amirhossein Moradi has also reported severe beatings during his detention.

These two elite students were arrested in April 2020. Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court three months later announced their charges as “corruption on earth” and “assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the system.” Only the charge of corruption on earth carries a death sentence.

Mohseni Ejei, the former spokesperson of the Judiciary, accused these two students of connection with the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization; an accusation that apparently has been leveled against them only because of their family relations with members of this organization.

Also, the charge of keeping explosive materials in their homes has been brought against these two individuals by judicial authorities. Both have rejected all these charges.

According to Amnesty International’s report, these two imprisoned students have been denied access to a lawyer and have been held for 13 months in separate cells in Ward 209 of Evin and are deprived of all medical and health facilities.

In its letter, Amnesty International asked Mohseni Ejei to immediately and unconditionally release Ali Younesee and Amirhossein Moradi, “who have been detained solely because of their family connections.”

It was also requested that the head of the Judiciary ensure that they are protected against torture and other ill-treatment and that they have access to necessary medical care and are given the opportunity to contact their family and a lawyer of their choice.

Mohseni Ejei has been asked to conduct an independent investigation into the claims of these two prisoners regarding beatings during arrest and torture and other ill-treatment during detention, and to prosecute those responsible for this conduct in a fair trial in accordance with international standards.

Ali Younesee is one of Iran’s elite students and winner of the gold medal of the Astronomy Olympiad, and Amirhossein Moradi is an elite student in the field of physics.

Source: DW