Mona Bakhtiari Announces Attempted Assassination of Her Mother Nahid Shirpichah in Prison, Calls for Immediate Release of Her Relatives

Mona Bakhtiari, whose brother Pouya was killed during the protests in November 2019, and whose mother Nahid Shirpichah and father Manouchehr Bakhtiari were imprisoned for seeking justice, claims that her parents' lives are in danger in the prisons of the Islamic Republic. On Wednesday, July 6, she posted a message on social media stating, 'Judicial and security officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly promised in recent months to approve my mother's leave, but today when I visited her, I found out she had been the target of an assassination attempt and beaten in prison.' In this video message, Mona expressed concern about her father Manouchehr Bakhtiari's health and the necessity of sending him to the hospital for surgery, demanding the immediate release of her parents from prison. This member of the Bakhtiari family also stated, 'Two months ago, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence summoned and interrogated me, asking me to cooperate with them and provide information about my aunt and uncle, which I refused. They also made me promise not to engage in any activities on social media or disseminate information in exchange for agreeing to my mother's leave, but they did not keep this promise, citing recent posts by my aunt and uncle on social media.' Saba Bakhtiari, Mona's aunt, responded to the claims of the Islamic Republic's security officials by posting on social media, 'You said that I incited Pouya's parents; no, we all stand by the blood of our child.' She emphasized the demand of all families seeking justice, stating, 'The instigator was the bullet you fired and the blood you shed; but know that the blood of Iran's children will hold you accountable and will strike you down.' Nahid Shirpichah, Pouya Bakhtiari's mother and one of the mothers seeking justice from the November 2019 protests, was arrested on July 9, 2022, and accused of having connections with a 'foreign intelligence service.' Manouchehr Bakhtiari, Pouya's father, launched an international campaign for 'justice for his son's life and all the victims' during the 40 years of the Islamic Republic's rule, for which he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. In May of this year, following the fabrication of a case against him in prison, he was tried again and sentenced to an additional '13 months and 15 days in prison.' Pouya Bakhtiari was born on September 10, 1992, and was shot in the skull by government agents during the protests in Mehrshahr, Karaj, on November 25, 2019, and was killed. Manouchehr Bakhtiari was sentenced to an additional 13 months and 15 days in prison due to 'case fabrication in prison.' The pressure on families seeking justice continues; Farzad Moazemi Goudarzi's detention has been extended for another month. The appellate court overturned Manouchehr Bakhtiari's 18-year prison sentence. Manouchehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner, was tried again. A human rights organization reported the renewed detention of the father seeking justice for Reza Lotfi. Manouchehr Bakhtiari's wife states that this justice-seeking prisoner’s life is 'in danger.' The pressure on families seeking justice continues; Farzad Moazemi Goudarzi was arrested in Boroujerd with 'beating.'