Mehrdad Bakhtiari Faces Six-Year Prison Sentence and Additional Restrictions

The Revolutionary Court of Karaj has handed down a six-year prison sentence to Mehrdad Bakhtiari, along with a two-year travel ban, and two-year exile in Shahrekord. He is the paternal uncle of Pouya Bakhtiari, who tragically lost his life at the hands of regime forces during the 2019 Protests, aka Aban Protests.

Bakhtiari publicly disclosed that he was given five years for “assembly and collusion against national security” and an additional one year for “spreading propaganda against the regime.”

This legal case unfolded in July 2022 when charges were filed against Bakhtiari and Nahid Shirpisheh, Pouya Bakhtiari’s mother. It is noteworthy that in a separate case initiated by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court, Bakhtiari was acquitted of the charges against him.

Bakhtiari’s arrest occurred on July 11, 2022, after he shared a video on social media about Shirpisheh’s arrest and posted pictures of her residence’s door, which had been broken by authorities. Following his arrest, Bakhtiari was transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. He was released on bail on September 3, 2022, until the end of legal proceedings.
In a tragic and interconnected series of events, Bakhtiari’s son, Pouya, at the age of 27, was fatally shot by regime forces during the 2019 protests, also known as the Aban Protests, in Karaj. According to his sister and mother, Pouya succumbed to his injuries in the hospital after being shot in the head during the second day of the protest’s eruption.

The sentencing and associated restrictions underscore a worrisome development, exemplifying the state of freedom of expression and political dissent in Iran.

Family Members of Victims of the November 2019 Protests Arrested

On July 11, 2022, security forces arrested at least ten family members of the individuals killed during nationwide protests in  2019 known as Aban protests. In a news article, IRGC-affiliated  Fars News Agency called such families “agitators and “troublemakers” since they have been outspoken about seeking justice for their kids.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on July 11, 2022, at least ten family members of those who were killed in the Aban protest were arrested.

These apprehended individuals include Nahid Shirpisheh and Mehrdad Bakhtiari, Pouya Bakhtiari’s mother and uncle, Mahboobeh Ramezani, Pejman Gholipour’s mother, Saeed Damour, Vahid Damour’s brother, and Somayeh Jafarpanah, Jafar Panahi’s sister.

BBC Farsi has added Tala’at Meshki, Jafarpanah’s mother, Iran Allahyari, Mehrdad Moeinfar’s mother, and, Zeynab Mohammadi, Mohammad Taheri’s mother, to the list. HRANA has not been able to verify the latter yet. 

These individuals’ whereabouts are still unknown.

A few hours after these arrests, Fars News Agency called the family members “agitators” and accused them of “receiving the money to cause unrest and insecurity.”

In November of 2019, an increase in fuel prices sparked a wave of protests in dozens of cities across the country. The spokesperson of the Parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Seyed Hossein Taghavi, announced that 7000 people were arrested during these protests. According to reports from human rights organizations, hundreds were killed by the security apparatus.