Prisoners in Qezel Hesar, Evin, and Adelabad prisons congratulate the 2026 Magnitsky Human Rights Award recipient, praising his refusal to surrender under the threat of execution and dedicating the recognition to the struggle for freedom in Iran.
Political prisoners across Iran have sent messages of congratulations to Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani following his receipt of the 2026 Magnitsky Outstanding Human Rights Activist Award, describing his steadfastness under a death sentence as a testament to the determination of prisoners who refuse to abandon their convictions.
Messages from political prisoners Mehdi Vafaei and Ali Moezi, both held in Qezel Hesar Prison, and Zahra Safaei, imprisoned in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, were conveyed in solidarity with Vafaei Sani. Three other political prisoners—Saeed Gharibi, Ruhollah Eskandarpour, and Reza Heydari—also issued a joint congratulatory message from Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.
Their statements emphasized a common theme: imprisonment, torture, and the threat of execution cannot extinguish the determination of those committed to political freedom.
Mehdi Vafaei: ‘Your body is imprisoned, but your spirit and free thought are never confined’
In an audio message recorded from Qezel Hesar Prison, political prisoner Mehdi Vafaei congratulated Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, describing the Magnitsky Award as both a distinction and recognition of the courage of a young man who has refused to surrender despite years of imprisonment.
“First, I congratulate you on this award, which is not only a badge of honor but also proof of the courage of a brave young man who stood firm in the heart of captivity but never surrendered,” he said.
Addressing the significance of Vafaei Sani’s resistance, he added:
“You, like all your aware generation, have demonstrated that although your bodies are imprisoned, your great spirits and free thoughts can never be confined.”
Mehdi Vafaei said the international recognition had carried Vafaei Sani’s voice beyond the prison walls, forcing the world to hear the message of a prisoner whom the authorities had sought to silence.
“Today, the world heard the voice of your steadfastness from behind the concrete walls they thought would silence you,” he said.
He described the award as recognition of a life defined by courage, truth-seeking, and the pursuit of freedom, adding that dignity cannot be bought, broken, or imprisoned.
Remembering the mothers who have lost their children and those killed in the struggle for freedom, Mehdi Vafaei stressed that their sacrifices would neither be forgiven nor forgotten. He expressed hope that Vafaei Sani would live to celebrate the day when the prison walls finally fall.
“Whether we are here or not, that day will come. Fortunate are those who did not bow their heads and stood firm, for freedom is truly the greatest award they deserve,” he declared.
His message also included verses condemning the political rivalry between the Shah and the Sheikh as deceptive, expressing his determination to continue along the path of resistance.
Zahra Safaei: ‘You reminded everyone that freedom is not merely leaving prison walls’
In her message from the women’s ward of Evin Prison, political prisoner Zahra Safaei described Vafaei Sani’s imprisonment as an attempt by the authorities to separate him from the Iranian people and suppress his influence.
She said that the regime’s efforts to chain him had failed to extinguish the hope and determination he represented.
“You have reminded everyone that freedom does not simply mean leaving the walls of a prison. Freedom resides in the spirit and soul of those who resist the enemy under the harshest pressures and refuse to abandon the truth,” Safaei stated.
She described the international award as recognition of Vafaei Sani’s victory over fear and his commitment to freedom, rather than merely a medal placed on his chest.
“The true pride of yours lies not simply in receiving this award, but in the painful and torturous path you have traveled and endured, and in the hope you have kept alive,” she said.
Safaei also reflected on how history remembers those who administer repression and those who stand against it.
“History has remembered prison guards and those who build prisons with contempt, while it will record the names of those who stood against oppression with honor and respect,” she declared.
Conveying congratulations on behalf of acquaintances of the families of martyrs and political prisoners, she expressed hope for Vafaei Sani’s dignified return to the Iranian people.
She concluded with three words encapsulating her message: “Struggle – Resistance – Freedom.”
Ali Moezi: ‘The body can be imprisoned and hanged, but never an awakened conscience’
Political prisoner Ali Moezi, also held in Qezel Hesar Prison, described the international recognition of Vafaei Sani as the result of his steadfastness over several years under the threat of execution.
He said that Vafaei Sani’s resistance had drawn the attention of international human rights organizations and political and sporting figures around the world.
According to Moezi, the threat of the gallows, torture, and the prison’s high walls had failed to break his determination or prevent his message from reaching an international audience.
“The award of Outstanding Human Rights Activist is not merely a physical medal of honor for you. It is proof of the courage of a free human being who resists to the point of death in the heart of captivity,” Moezi wrote.
He continued:
“A person who proves that the body can be imprisoned and hanged, but an awakened conscience and steadfast faith can never be!”
Moezi described the choice facing political prisoners in stark terms, contrasting submission with continued resistance.
“Surrender means victory for the executioners’ regime, while standing firm to the very end means their defeat,” he stated.
Congratulating Vafaei Sani on behalf of himself and fellow political prisoners, Moezi expressed hope that he would soon receive the most important award of all: freedom.
He wrote that this would mean “opening the prison doors and securing freedom for you and your people,” adding that freedom was deserved by everyone who had stood up for human dignity and human rights without bowing their heads.
Political prisoners in Adelabad Prison join the congratulations
Three political prisoners held in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz—Saeed Gharibi, Ruhollah Eskandarpour, and Reza Heydari—also issued a joint message congratulating Vafaei Sani on receiving the Magnitsky Award.
Their statement read:
“We, Saeed Gharibi, Ruhollah Eskandarpour, and Reza Heydari, political prisoners in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, congratulate Mohammad Javad Vafaei on receiving the Human Rights Activist Award. We hope for freedom and victory.”
A message of solidarity from Iran’s prisons
The messages from Qezel Hesar, Evin, and Adelabad prisons demonstrate the solidarity expressed by political prisoners toward Vafaei Sani and the significance they attach to his international recognition.
The six prisoners who sent messages—Mehdi Vafaei, Zahra Safaei, Ali Moezi, Saeed Gharibi, Ruhollah Eskandarpour, and Reza Heydari—highlighted different aspects of the same struggle: preserving personal dignity, refusing forced submission, remembering those killed for their convictions, and maintaining hope for a free Iran.
Their congratulations also reinforced the central message of Vafaei Sani’s own statement upon receiving the 2026 Magnitsky Award: that the recognition belongs to all those imprisoned, tortured, threatened, or sentenced to death for seeking a democratic Iran.
For these prisoners, the ultimate recognition will not be a medal or international ceremony, but the day when prison doors open and the Iranian people can live in freedom.