Ali Abdi (activist)
Ali Abdi | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 21, 1985 Iran |
| Occupation(s) | Human rights activist, women's rights activist, student activist |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Advocacy for human and women's rights; participation in Iranian Green Movement; political detainee |
Ali Abdi (born 21 April 1985; Persian: علی عبدی) is recognized as an Iranian advocate for human and women's rights, a former student activist at Sharif University of Technology, and a political detainee.
In February 2024, Abdi received a prison sentence totaling 12 years: six years attributed to articles he authored approximately ten years prior concerning gender and sexual minorities, five years linked to his participation in protests against the 2009 presidential election outcomes, and one year for charges of “propaganda against the regime.” His sentence was subsequently confirmed by the Court of Appeals.
Activism
Abdi was actively involved in the 2006 One Million Signatures campaign advocating for women's rights.
During his time as a student at Sharif University of Technology in 2009, he became part of the Iranian Green Movement. He managed to evade detention and departed Iran in September after securing a student visa.
Following completion of his doctoral studies at Yale University, Abdi settled in Brooklyn, New York City. There, he continued his activism by supporting initiatives aimed at permitting medicine imports into Iran and opposing sanctions due to their detrimental humanitarian effects. He maintained engagement on Iranian social media platforms and was granted political asylum in the United States in 2013.
In 2017, Abdi publicly criticized proposed expansions of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, contending that such measures unjustly penalized Iranian nationals for their government’s policies.
2023 arrest
After spending 14 years living in exile across the United States, European Union countries, and Afghanistan, Abdi returned to Iran in June 2023. In November of the same year, he was detained. Currently held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, which is overseen by IRGC intelligence forces, he is reported to be experiencing significant health challenges, including potential vision loss due to insufficient medical treatment. The exact allegations against him have not been officially disclosed.
Personal life and education
Abdi obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 2008 from Sharif University of Technology, widely regarded as Iran’s leading technical university. He subsequently pursued graduate education in Europe, earning a master’s degree in gender studies from Budapest and completing a Ph.D. in anthropology at Yale University. In January 2017, while conducting research for his doctoral thesis in Afghanistan, he was impacted by U.S. executive orders that restricted entry for Iranian citizens.
In 2021, during his Ph.D. research period in Afghanistan, Abdi was detained by the Taliban amid their offensive in Bamyan but was released after two weeks. He then moved to Turkey to finalize his doctoral studies. Following partial loss of vision in his right eye, he returned to Iran to be near family members. At the Iranian Embassy in Ankara, he underwent an extensive four-hour security screening before obtaining a new passport and traveling to Isfahan, Iran. Approximately one month following his arrival, he was arrested and formally charged.