Manouchehr Bakhtiari's Wife Says the Life of This Justice-Seeking Prisoner is 'At Risk'

The wife of Manouchehr Bakhtiari, the father of justice-seeker Pouya Bakhtiari who is serving his sentence in Chubin prison in Qazvin, emphasized that the life of this political prisoner is in danger and that the 'regime' is trying to eliminate him in silence. According to an audio file of a phone conversation released by Sara Abasi, Manouchehr Bakhtiari's wife, on Instagram on Sunday, April 8, Sorin, the young child of this justice-seeker, realized that his father is in prison during a phone call where his father repeatedly says, 'This is a prison and the caller is a prisoner.' Sara Abasi wrote: 'The conversation between my dear Sorin and his dear father shows the longing and restlessness of our child.' She stated that after visiting this political prisoner on March 12, her child has become 'depressed' and 'restless,' adding, 'What is my child's sin that he must endure so much loneliness and suffering?' She explained that her child understood his father was in prison from a recorded message from prison officials that is usually played during prisoners' calls, stating, 'This is a prison and the caller is a prisoner,' emphasizing that this message causes them to endure 'more psychological torture.' Sara Abasi also mentioned that Pouya Bakhtiari's father has been seriously ill for about two years and urgently needs hernia and prostate surgery, and 'Manouchehr Bakhtiari's life is at risk,' but 'the regime, in complete silence and because of his illness,' is 'trying to eliminate' this political prisoner and has called on the people to be 'his voice,' which 'has been and is the voice of the oppressed people of Iran.' Manouchehr Bakhtiari's wife stated that if anything happens to him, 'the regime must be held accountable,' addressing the officials of the Islamic Republic, saying, 'Shame on you and your government, which is based on oppression and injustice.' She added, 'The regime ruthlessly killed Pouya for protesting the threefold increase in gasoline prices and has imprisoned his father for years because he sought justice for Pouya, depriving my dear Sorin of his father's love and embrace.' The parents of justice-seeker Pouya Bakhtiari, who was killed during the November 2019 protests, are imprisoned far from their home; Manouchehr Bakhtiari is in Chubin prison in Qazvin, and Nahid Shirpijeh is in Zanjan prison. Pouya Bakhtiari's father, who has been arrested before for seeking justice, was violently arrested at his home by intelligence agents on April 28, 2021, and the Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced him to 'three years and six months in prison, two years and six months of exile, and two years of travel ban.' Manouchehr Bakhtiari, who was transferred to the central prison of Karaj after the interrogation, was taken to Chubin prison in Qazvin in the summer of 2022 and has been held there since. This political prisoner was tried in another case that was opened against him during his arrest via video conference in the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Karaj, presided over by Mousa Asfahani, and was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 74 lashes. Meanwhile, the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic summoned this justice-seeker online for the third time during his sentence in prison by fabricating a new case against him. Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the actions of the intelligence and judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic for exerting pressure on justice-seekers and the families of victims of nationwide protests. Previously, Saba, Manouchehr Bakhtiari's sister, in response to the fabrication of a case against this justice-seeker and the issuance of an 18-year prison sentence and 74 lashes, told Voice of America that he has done nothing but seek justice for his child and the soil and water of Iran, and 'our people's struggle' against the Islamic Republic continues without fear of imprisonment.