Exclusive; Monouchehr Bakhtiari's Sister: The Government is Fabricating Cases Against My Brother

Saba Bakhtiari, sister of Monouchehr Bakhtiari, in an exclusive interview with the Persian section of Voice of America, reported on the case fabrication by judicial and security institutions against her brother and the physical and mental problems resulting from his four-year imprisonment in solitary confinement. The sister of this political prisoner described the killing of Pouya Bakhtiari during the protests of 2019 and the subsequent imprisonment of their father, Monouchehr Bakhtiari, over the past four years as 'unjust' and a sign of the 'oppression of the Islamic Republic.' Pouya Bakhtiari was killed by direct gunfire from Islamic Republic agents during the nationwide protests in November 2019. Saba Bakhtiari also reported on her brother's poor mental condition and physical weakness after several years in prison and solitary confinement, stating that despite the forensic medical opinion for granting him medical leave and release, the prosecutor's office opposed this. According to Saba Bakhtiari, this political prisoner suffers from gastrointestinal disease due to a perforated intestine and also has chronic toothache, requiring surgery for his gastrointestinal illness. Recently, HRANA, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, reported that Monouchehr Bakhtiari has been deprived of medical care for about two months despite 'toothache and the spread of infection to his eyes and ears.' In her interview with Voice of America, Saba Bakhtiari emphasized that as her brother's prison term, most of which has been spent in solitary confinement, nears its end, the Iranian government is opening new cases against this political activist. Monouchehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner held in Chubin Prison in Qazvin, was recently sentenced to six months in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Qazvin for 'insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic.' Additionally, another court in Karaj is set to try her brother on November 20 for 'propaganda against the regime.' Saba Bakhtiari, in response to a question about her brother's access to a lawyer and the possibility of appealing the court's rulings, emphasized that the judicial system of the Islamic Republic does not take the protests of political prisoners seriously, and lawyers cannot make any progress in this regard. According to Saba Bakhtiari, while a release order for her brother had previously been issued by the Supreme Court, security and intelligence institutions and the prosecutor have opposed the execution of this order. Saba Bakhtiari also noted that her brother is prohibited from visits, and sometimes he is allowed to make phone calls, which are completely cut off during occasions such as the anniversary of the birth of his deceased son, Pouya Bakhtiari, or during the November 2019 protests. Previously, Pouran Nazemi, a human rights activist, emphasized the necessity of countering the Iranian government's pressure on the families of the bereaved to Voice of America, stating that if there is no reaction to the repression of the Islamic Republic, they will fabricate cases against other bereaved families under 'security' charges. This human rights activist stated that if we do not protest today against the agents of the Islamic Republic and the fabrications against the families of the bereaved, we have betrayed the blood of our lost loved ones. Abram Paley, the deputy special envoy of the United States for Iran, also condemned the detention and pressure on the families of the victims of the Islamic Republic, calling it 'an obvious attempt to instill fear among opposing Iranians.'