On the evening of Thursday, November 12, 2026, the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign presented its 2026 “Outstanding Human Rights Activist” award during a ceremony in London to Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a political prisoner on death row in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, northeastern Iran. Following the announcement, several political prisoners, including Zahra Safaei, speaking from the women’s ward of Evin Prison, congratulated him on receiving the honor.
Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a martial arts and boxing champion and coach who holds a national championship silver medal, was arrested on February 8, 2020, in connection with the November 2019 nationwide protests. He has spent the past seven years in prison under torture and pressure awaiting execution, having been sentenced to death three times on charges of membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Considered one of the world’s most prestigious human rights honors, the Magnitsky Award recognizes individuals who have stood up against human rights abuses and political repression. During the London ceremony, a message from the 31-year-old death-row prisoner smuggled out of Vakilabad Prison was read aloud to attendees. “I remain steadfast in my pledge, and I will not bow before oppression until the people of Iran are free,” Vafaei Sani emphasized in his message.
The awarding of the “Outstanding Human Rights Activist” title to Vafaei Sani has drawn widespread international attention.
Zahra Safaei, who has been imprisoned for years over her political activities and support for the PMOI, and has faced ongoing physical and psychological pressure, described the honor in her message as a recognition of the resilience and resistance of prisoners standing against repression.
The full text of Safaei’s message, published publicly at her own initiative and insistence,[1] follows below:
Message from Political Prisoner Zahra Safaei
The illegitimate ruling regime imprisoned Mohammad Javad Vafaei, a champion athlete and a champion in the struggle for freedom, to separate him from the people. But to Mohammad Javad, we say, that by placing you in chains, they could never extinguish the flame of hope and resistance that burns within you.
Your steadfastness has reminded all that freedom is not merely the absence of prison walls. True freedom lives in the hearts and minds of those who withstand the harshest pressures, resist tyranny, and remain faithful to the truth.
During these years of captivity, you stood so firmly that the world was compelled to see and hear you. This award is far more than a distinction. It symbolizes the victory of courage over fear and the triumph of human dignity over imprisonment.
Today, I congratulate you because you have given meaning to your life through courage, fidelity to your principles, and your refusal to submit to injustice. Your greatest honor lies not in receiving this award, but in the difficult path you have endured, the suffering you have withstood, and the hope you have kept alive.
History remembers prison builders and oppressors with disgrace, while those who stand against injustice are remembered with respect and honor. On behalf of friends and relatives of political prisoners and fallen freedom-fighters, I congratulate you and wish for your proud return to the people of Iran.
Struggle – Resistance – Freedom
Zahra Safaei
Evin Prison
November 2026
[1] Zahra Safaei and the other inmates who sent congratulatory messages to this political prisoner took this step fully aware that, given the harsh conditions in prison, they will face even greater pressure from prison authorities.
