Manouchehr Bakhtiari Returned to Prison Against Doctors' Orders

Manouchehr Bakhtiari's wife announced that the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic returned this political prisoner, who is seeking justice, to prison in Chubin-Dar, Qazvin, despite his urgent need to complete his treatment and absolute rest. Sara Abbasi, Manouchehr Bakhtiari's wife, wrote on her Instagram account on Tuesday, December 20, that her husband was discharged from the hospital and transferred to prison this morning 'despite chest pain.' According to Abbasi, even the hospital's medical commission had stated in a letter that this political prisoner 'severely needs absolute rest and cannot be in prison,' yet he was 'transferred to prison.' The return of Mr. Bakhtiari from the hospital to prison by judicial authorities comes while Ali Sharifzadeh, the lawyer of this political prisoner, had requested on Monday from the public prosecutor of Qazvin to 'postpone the execution of his sentence for complete recovery, necessary care, and absolute rest' due to Manouchehr Bakhtiari's critical condition caused by heart disease and surgery. The father of Poya Bakhtiari, a young man who was killed by the Islamic Republic's agents during the suppression of the November 2019 protests, underwent hernia surgery after being transferred from prison to the hospital on December 5 but was not discharged afterward 'due to bruising and clots at the surgical site.' According to Manouchehr Bakhtiari's wife, 'after a few days during discharge,' this justice-seeking prisoner 'suffered a heart attack,' and 'the doctor prevented his discharge,' and this time his heart underwent a 'CT angiography.' Sara Abbasi emphasized that she demands the 'unconditional release' of Manouchehr Bakhtiari, as she claims her husband is 'innocent in prison.' She stressed that Manouchehr Bakhtiari is 'seeking justice, and seeking justice is not a crime,' adding: 'Manouchehr Bakhtiari's life is in danger. Be his voice, as he has been and is the voice of the oppressed people of Iran.' Abram Paley, the Deputy Special Representative of the U.S. Department of State for Iran, called for the release of Poya Bakhtiari's parents in a message on Friday, November 26, coinciding with the anniversary of Poya Bakhtiari's death, stating: 'Poya, like thousands of other protesters during the bloody November 1398 protests, was killed by the Islamic Republic regime. His parents peacefully sought justice for their son. We will remember all the victims of the November protests and those seeking justice.' The violation of the right to medical treatment for prisoners by the Islamic Republic authorities in Iran has been reported multiple times, and several have lost their lives due to negligence in medical care. Moein Khazaeli, a lawyer, previously told VOA that the Islamic Republic uses the violation of the right to treatment as a tool of torture against prisoners. In recent days, the Islamic Republic authorities opposed the medical leave request of Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner opposed to the government held in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, telling her that she could only leave prison if she did not interview with the media, but Ms. Sepahri did not accept this condition.