Nahid Shirpichah's Daughter: My Mother Attempted Suicide in Prison and Her Life is in Danger

Mona Bakhtiari, daughter of Nahid Shirpichah and Manoochehr Bakhtiari, and sister of the late Pouya Bakhtiari, reported on Saturday, February 16, that her mother attempted suicide in prison. Mona Bakhtiari announced on X media: "Today, after three weeks of not hearing from my mother Nahid Shirpichah, we learned that last Tuesday she attempted suicide in prison and has been taken to solitary confinement." Mona Bakhtiari further warned: "My mother can no longer endure prison and her life is in danger." She emphasized that the Islamic Republic is responsible for any incident that may happen to her mother. Previously, Mona Bakhtiari had also reminded that her brother Pouya Bakhtiari was killed by the Islamic Republic and warned that this government poses a threat to the lives of her imprisoned parents and other members of the Bakhtiari family. Manoochehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner and father of the late Pouya Bakhtiari, who was killed during the November 2019 protests, had previously sent a voice message from Qazvin prison stating that he has been on a hunger strike since November 7 and that the Islamic Republic is responsible for anything that happens to him. Pouya Bakhtiari, born on September 10, 1992, was shot in the skull by government agents during the protests in November 2019 in Mehrshahr, Karaj. Manoochehr Bakhtiari was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for launching an international campaign for "justice for his son and all the victims" over the forty years of the Islamic Republic's rule. The Islamic Republic arrested Nahid Shirpichah, Pouya Bakhtiari's mother, on July 9, 2022, accusing her of being connected to a "foreign intelligence service" and imprisoned her as well. In August 2024, Mehrad, Pouya's uncle, was arrested for "protesting the pressures imposed by the Islamic Republic on his family"; he had previously been sentenced to six years in prison. Saba Bakhtiari stated: "The Islamic Republic is responsible for anything that happens to me." New charges have been filed against Mona, Pouya Bakhtiari's sister, and her uncle, Ahmad Bakhtiari. The mother of Mehrdad Bakhtiari reported inappropriate behavior by the officials of the Central Prison of Karaj towards her child. Saba Bakhtiari's sister reported that she was assaulted by an unknown person outside of Iran. Saba and Mona Bakhtiari called on the public to be the voice of Mehrdad Bakhtiari in solitary confinement. Manoochehr Bakhtiari was returned to prison against doctors' orders and suffered a heart attack while in custody.