Iranian political prisoners Zahra Safaei and Ali Moezzi have sent messages from Evin and Ghezel Hesar prisons congratulating Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a boxing champion and supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), on receiving the 2026 Magnitsky Award for Outstanding Human Rights Activist.
In their messages, the two veteran political prisoners praised Vafaei Sani’s courage in resisting the Iranian regime despite years of imprisonment, torture, and the threat of execution.
“At last, the world has heard the voice of your courage, perseverance, and loyalty to the ideal of freedom for your people,” Moezzi wrote from Ghezel Hesar Prison.
Both prisoners emphasized that the international recognition represented more than a personal honor. It was a testament to the determination of political prisoners who have refused to surrender their convictions despite the regime’s repression.
Zahra Safaei: Freedom cannot be confined within prison walls
In her message from the women’s ward of Evin Prison, Zahra Safaei described Vafaei Sani’s imprisonment as an attempt to isolate him from the Iranian people and extinguish his spirit of resistance.
However, she stressed that his perseverance had demonstrated the limits of repression.
“Through your steadfastness and perseverance, you reminded everyone that freedom does not merely mean passing beyond prison walls. Freedom resides in the hearts and minds of those who resist under the harshest pressures and refuse to abandon the truth,” she wrote.
Safaei emphasized that the award represented the victory of Vafaei Sani’s determination over the regime’s attempts to break him.
“The significance of this award reflects the triumph of your will over fear and your free spirit over the chains of captivity, rather than merely a medal on your chest.”
She concluded by expressing hope that Vafaei Sani would return to the Iranian people with dignity, declaring that history would remember those who resisted oppression with honor.
Ali Moezzi: Neither torture nor execution threats could silence him
Writing from Ghezel Hesar Prison, veteran political prisoner Ali Moezzi also praised Vafaei Sani’s refusal to surrender despite repeated death sentences.
“The threat of the gallows, the torture bed, and the high walls and fences of prison proved powerless against your magnificent determination,” he wrote.
Moezzi said the regime had sought to intimidate athletes and prevent them from speaking out, but Vafaei Sani’s message had reached audiences across the world.
“You have shown that dignity and freedom cannot be traded. The body can be imprisoned and hanged, but an awakened conscience and steadfast faith never can.”
He emphasized that surrender would constitute a victory for the regime, while perseverance represented its defeat.
Moezzi concluded by expressing hope that Vafaei Sani would soon receive a greater reward than the international recognition: the opening of prison doors and freedom for himself and the Iranian people.
Years of persecution behind the messages
Both Safaei and Moezzi have experienced decades of political persecution, giving their tributes particular significance.
Safaei spent eight years in prison during the 1980s for supporting the PMOI. She was arrested repeatedly in subsequent decades, most recently in September 2023, months after completing another prison term.
In 2026, she was among female political prisoners deprived of family visits for supporting the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and protesting executions.
Mehdi Vafaei Sani, Zahra Safaei’s son and Mohammad Javad’s cousin, is also a political prisoner who has undergone severe torture and pressure during years of incarceration.
Moezzi’s imprisonment dates back to 1981, when he was subjected to physical and psychological torture. He has faced repeated arrests because of his support for the PMOI.
On February 15, 2025, prison authorities forcibly transferred him from Evin to Ghezel Hesar despite serious illnesses, including prostate cancer and kidney problems. In March 2026, he was again transferred to solitary confinement during a violent crackdown on political prisoners in preparation for the execution of six PMOI members.
An international honor for a prisoner facing execution
On November 12, 2026, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani received the Magnitsky Award for Outstanding Human Rights Activist in absentia at a ceremony in London. British MP Bob Blackman presented the award, which Mohammad Namdari accepted on his behalf.
Vafaei Sani, a boxing champion arrested in 2020 following the November 2019 uprising, has endured torture, solitary confinement, and repeated death sentences. His third death sentence was upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court in October 2025.
In a message delivered to the ceremony from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, he declared:
“The regime demands repentance, televised confessions and surrender from us. But our answer is clear: ‘We will never surrender; we will never submit to humiliation.'”
His words resonate with the messages of Safaei and Moezzi, who have endured years of repression but continue to express their determination to resist.
Their tributes demonstrate that the award has become more than international recognition for one prisoner. It is also a symbol of solidarity among those who continue to struggle for freedom from behind Iran’s prison walls.