Brother of Ali Younesi, a student detained in Iran: My brother does not have access to a lawyer

Nearly 20 days after the arrest of student activist Ali Younesi, Ali Younesi's brother once again expressed concern about the lack of information about his brother's condition and announced that he does not have access to a lawyer.

Reza Younesi, the brother of Ali Younesi, a student arrested in Iran, posted a series of tweets about how his brother was arrested, stating that he "does not have access to a lawyer and has not been able to speak to his parents during this time."

He went on to point to the Iranian regime's long history of human rights violations, including the detention and torture of students, and wrote that his family was "very concerned" about Ali Younesi's health.

Ali Younesi, a computer engineering student, and Amir Hossein Moradi, a physics student, were arrested by plainclothes officers on Friday, April 12, without a warrant and beaten at their residence and taken to an unknown location.

These arrests are being made by security forces in Iran at a time when human rights activists and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran have called for the release of political and ideological prisoners from Iranian prisons in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said in a press conference on Wednesday, April 26: "We have asked not only Syria, but also the Islamic Republic of Iran to release not only American citizens, but all those who have been unjustly imprisoned in these circumstances. This is a humanitarian act, and apart from the fact that these people have been illegally imprisoned, the principle of humanitarianism prevails in these circumstances."

Source: Voice of America