Severe concern for the family of Ali Younesi, a detained Sharif University scholar

Family members have expressed deep concern over the health of Ali Younesi, Iran's world medalist in astronomy, who has been in detention for more than two weeks.

Aida Younesi, the sister of detained Sharif University student Ali Younesi, posted a video on Twitter demanding an explanation from authorities about the arrest and beating of her brother. Ali Younesi, 20, is a world gold medalist in astronomy.

Younesi was arrested on April 12 and severely beaten. This means that this Iranian elite has been detained for more than two weeks, despite repeated promises of his continued release to his family. This, according to Reza Younesi, Ali Younesi's brother, has led to the family's silence about his arrest.

Some media outlets incorrectly listed the date of the arrest as May 2.

In a video posted on Twitter, Aida Younesi addressed Alireza Ghaderi, the head of the Basij at Sharif University of Technology, and said, "Where are the laws written that you can beat a 20-year-old young man and shock his parents with his bloody face? When you beat Ali like that on the street and brought him home in that condition, what kind of torture are you doing in solitary confinement?"

Ali Younesi's brother, Reza Younesi, had previously explained the arrest on Twitter, saying, "On the evening of Friday, April 12, 12 plainclothes officers brought Ali home." Reza Younesi went on to write about his brother's condition: "His forehead was completely bloody and his head was hit."

According to Reza Younesi, the family is currently extremely concerned about his brother's condition, "both in terms of the injuries he sustained from the beatings by the officers, especially the laceration to his forehead and the blow to the head, and in terms of concerns about the coronavirus situation in the detention centers."

Amir Hossein Moradi, a fellow student of Ali Younesi, was arrested at the same time and beaten. He is also currently in custody.

Requesting further clarification about the case or an apology

Aida Younesi, Ali Younesi's sister, continues her video on Twitter: "Even if Ali had committed a crime, you could have summoned him. You've been taking him for 15 days now. What story are you looking for that requires you to interrogate him for two weeks? If the law were in effect, it would have pursued your accusations against Ali and his family."

Referring to the family's concerns, he said: "Last Thursday, after my father's follow-up and promises of release, a ridiculous charge of sabotage was brought against Ali. Today, the investigator again said that Ali had not committed a crime and would be released on Tuesday."

In this video, Aida Younesi asks the head of the student mobilization at Sharif University to "either provide the details of the case or apologize for spreading lies."

Source: DW