Arrest of Mehrdad Bakhtiari; Saba Bakhtiari: Armed forces threatened my defenseless brother and violently abducted him

A family member of the Bakhtiari family seeking justice stated that a large number of armed agents of the Islamic Republic attacked the home of Mehrdad Bakhtiari, the uncle of Pouya Bakhtiari, using violence and 'beating' to arrest him. Saba Bakhtiari, sister of Mehrdad and Monouchehr Bakhtiari and aunt of Pouya, announced her brother's arrest on Wednesday, August 8, on the social media platform X, writing: 'A few hours ago, more than 20 armed agents of the criminal government attacked the house and arrested my brother Mehrdad Bakhtiari with beating and injury.' She added that the agents of the Islamic Republic 'pointed a weapon at my defenseless brother's head. They did not settle for a blindfold and wrapped his entire head with a scarf and violently abducted him.' The violent arrest of Mehrdad Bakhtiari occurred just hours after he announced in a video that his other brother had been 'beaten' by agents in the Islamic Revolutionary Court and emphasized that the Bakhtiari family 'stands by Iran until the end.' In this video, Mehrdad Bakhtiari also stated that his nephew Pouya Bakhtiari sacrificed his life for Iran and that two other family members, Monouchehr Bakhtiari and Nahid Shirpiseh, Pouya's parents, are imprisoned in the jails of the Islamic Republic. Pressure on the families seeking justice has been repeatedly reported and continues to increase.