Breathing in Confinement

Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi, two student detainees are under pressure for forced confessions

6-September-2020

Category: Prisoners

Breathing in Confinement: Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi, two elite students at Sharif University who have been under detention for more than five months, are under pressure for forced confessions.

 

According to Breathing in Confinement, the news organ of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Aida Younesi, Ali Younesi’s sister, twitted that her brother was under pressure for a forced confession: “On Wednesday, September 2, my brother was told to accept TV confession, so that his execution sentence will be changed to life in prison. After five months of being detained, under torture, in solitary confinement and being subject of public interrogation, over the last 3 weeks the prison authorities using threat and pressure are insistently asking my brother to make a TV confession.”

 

Ms. Younesi continued: ‌”So far, no trial has been held. And after 5 months the file is still in the Ministry of Intelligence. The interrogators told Ali Yensi and Amir Hossein Moradi that we will decide on what sentence to be given to you and that if we want, your sentence will be executed unless you accept to make a TV confession.”

 

Previously also the security forces, with the help of university staff, including students Basij, held a meeting with these detained students and tried to get them to confess against themselves. This attempt provoked a strong reaction from the detained students’ families.

 

It needs to be mentioned that Ali Younesi, a gold medalist of the World Astronomy Olympiad, and Amir Hossein Moradi, a silver medalist of the National Astronomy Olympiad, have been detained since April 10, 2020, and are being held in Ward 209 in Evin Prison.