HRANA – Branch 1 of the Alborz Province Court of Appeals, after reviewing Manouchehr Bakhtiari’s appeal in a case dating back to 2020 on Kish Island, upheld his sentence totaling 18 years in prison.

According to HRANA, the sentence totaling 18 years in prison for Manouchehr Bakhtiari, who is currently incarcerated in Bandar Abbas Prison, has been upheld.

In a ruling issued on September 16, 2026, by Branch 1 of the Alborz Province Court of Appeals, Mr. Bakhtiari’s appeal was rejected, and his sentence totaling 18 years in prison was upheld, with modifications to the charges and penalties. The sentence of 74 lashes previously imposed on him was removed from the ruling.

According to the ruling, Mr. Bakhtiari was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the charge of forming and managing an online group with the aim of disrupting national security; five years on the charge of assembly and collusion with the intent to commit crimes against national security through cooperation with an opposition group; two years on the charge of publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion; and one year on the charge of propaganda against the regime.

The case dates back to events on Kish Island in 2020. A source close to Mr. Bakhtiari’s family told HRANA that the case was opened after he raised a flag on the island. According to the source, he was acquitted during proceedings in a Kish court, and the Supreme Court also reviewed the case twice, with outcomes in Mr. Bakhtiari’s favor.

In January 2024, Mr. Bakhtiari had previously been sentenced in the same case to a total of 18 years in prison and 74 lashes by Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Seyed Mousa Asef al-Hosseini. Following an appeal, Branch 1 of the Alborz Province Court of Appeals issued a ruling on April 20, 2024, overturning the judgment due to the trial court’s lack of jurisdiction and referring the case to the Kish Revolutionary Court for retrial.

On January 19, 2026, while serving his period of exile in Bandar Abbas, he was arrested and transferred to the city’s prison. He subsequently faced a new case. In late August 2026, Branch 1 of the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court sentenced him to an additional total of 10 years in prison.

Bakhtiari had previously been arrested by security forces at his home in Tehran on April 29, 2021, and was ultimately sentenced to three years and six months in prison, two years and six months of exile, and a two-year travel ban. After serving more than four years in prison, he was released from Choobindar Prison in Qazvin in October 2025 and transferred to Bandar Abbas to serve his exile sentence.

During his imprisonment, additional cases were also opened against Bakhtiari. In one case, he was sentenced to six months in prison. In another, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 74 lashes. The latter sentence was overturned on appeal, and the case was sent back to the Revolutionary Court for retrial.

Manouchehr Bakhtiari, the father of Pouya Bakhtiari, has stated that his 27-year-old son was shot and killed in Phase 4 of Mehrshahr, Karaj, during the November 2019 protests. According to Bakhtiari, Pouya, along with his mother and sister, joined protesters on the second day of demonstrations against the increase in gasoline prices. He was shot in the head and died before reaching the hospital.

Pouya Bakhtiari (born September 10, 1992; died November 16, 2019, in Mehrshahr, Karaj) was among those killed during Iran’s nationwide protests of 2019.