Manouchehr Bakhtiari, political prisoner and father of a victim, has suffered a heart attack

The family of Manouchehr Bakhtiari, father of Pouya Bakhtiari who was killed during the November 2019 protests, has reported that this political prisoner has suffered a heart attack, and the treating doctors have not allowed security forces to transfer him back to prison. Saba Bakhtiari, Mr. Bakhtiari's sister, wrote on social media on Thursday, December 6, that a day earlier, security forces attempted to return her brother to prison while he was in the hospital, and 'severe chest pain and panic attacks caused my brother to suffer a heart attack.' According to Saba Bakhtiari, after that, the doctors prevented Mr. Bakhtiari's transfer to prison. Manouchehr Bakhtiari was transferred to the hospital last week following a deterioration in his condition after a hunger strike in Chubindar prison in Qazvin. He began his hunger strike on November 7 in protest against being denied medical treatment outside of prison, and this hunger strike continued until November 24. Following numerous messages and requests from political figures, including Prince Reza Pahlavi, he agreed to end his hunger strike a day before the anniversary of his son's death, but ultimately the effects of this action led to his health deterioration. Saba Bakhtiari, in her note, expressed concern for her brother's health and called for medical leave for his continued treatment. Mr. Bakhtiari has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison by the Revolutionary Court on charges of 'spreading falsehoods' and 'propaganda against the regime.' Other family members have also been repeatedly arrested or imprisoned over the past three years. His son, Pouya Bakhtiari, was shot during nationwide protests in Iran on November 25, 2019, and was killed at the age of 27.