Amidst a brutal wave of executions designed to terrorize dissidents, elite university student and political prisoner Ali Younesi has released a defiant open letter from Ghezel Hesar Prison, bluntly rejecting the Iranian regime’s offer of a “pardon.” Writing in the direct aftermath of a state-sanctioned massacre that saw the hanging of six of his cellmates—all members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK)—Younesi’s letter proves the regime’s utter failure to break the spirit of Iran’s political prisoners.
The unyielding voice from Ghezel Hesar
In his letter, dated May 12, 2026, Younesi turns the tables on the ruling clerics, stating that it is the regime that must seek forgiveness from the grieving people of Iran. The full translation of his letter reads:
In response to the Judiciary of the Executioners regarding the pardon of the remaining 7 months of my sentence:
I have never asked for a pardon and never will.
Vahid Bani Amerian said in his defense: ‘Is it us who should defend ourselves, or you?’
I also say: ‘Is it us who should forgive, or you?!’
On Monday, May 11, 2026, a notification dated February 23, 2026, under the title of the ‘February 11 pardon’ was delivered to me, stating that the remainder of my sentence (seven months) has been pardoned.
First – I have never asked for a pardon and never will. Freedom is a stolen right; we do not beg for a stolen right, we fight to obtain it.
Second – I have role models: six proud, executed cellmates, whose memory is alive for me every day and every moment, and their voices are in my ears. They did not bargain for their lives; shame on me if I bargain for my freedom.
Third – Vahid Bani Amerian said in his defense: ‘Is it us who should defend ourselves, or you?’ I also say: ‘Is it us who should forgive, or you?!’
Forgiveness and pardon belong more than anyone to the grieving mothers and fathers. So, you grieving mothers and fathers, I hope you forgive me for any shortcomings, as you are my only authority for seeking forgiveness, and whatever remains of suffering, torture, prison, and hardship is nothing but a duty. It is backed by the sacrifice of your children that we fight, and we will remain steadfast in this fight. Fighting for the freedom of the Iranian people is not a source of regret and suffering, but the greatest source of pride.
Ali Younesi
Ghezel Hesar Prison, May 12, 2026
A brilliant mind behind bars
Born in October 2000, Ali Younesi is a computer engineering student at Sharif University of Technology, widely known across Iran as an astronomy prodigy. Before his arrest, he won silver and gold medals in the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and 2017, and secured a gold medal at the 2017 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA).
In any normal country, Younesi would be in an observatory or research lab pushing the frontiers of science. Instead, he and his fellow physics student, Amirhossein Moradi, were arrested by security forces on April 10, 2020. Accused by the regime’s judiciary of supporting PMOI/MEK, both young men were unjustly sentenced to 16 years in prison after enduring nearly two years of detention and harsh interrogations.
Blood, defiance, and a cowardly midnight raid
Younesi penned his letter following weeks of intense trauma and physical violence inside Ghezel Hesar Prison. Since March 30, the regime has executed eight PMOI members, including the recent hanging of six highly educated political prisoners: Vahid Bani Amerian, Abolhassan Montazer, Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, Babak Alipour, and Pouya Ghobadi.
On the night of March 29, 2026, prison guards deceitfully ambushed the inmates under the guise of an inspection to transfer the six PMOI martyrs for execution. When the guards’ violent intentions became clear, the political prisoners resisted. During the chaos, executioner Ghasem Sahraei, the prison’s duty officer, violently punched Younesi in the face simply for stating his last name.
Yet, as Younesi’s letter proves, the regime’s brutality has failed. Drawing direct inspiration from his martyred cellmates—who smiled and told their fellow inmates “don’t let the enemy see your tears” before walking to the gallows—Younesi embodies an unbroken generation. By declaring that his fight for freedom is “the greatest source of pride,” he sends a resounding message to the clerical establishment: Iran’s rebellious youth will never bargain with murderers.