Nahid Shirpich's Health Deteriorates Following Hunger Strike by This Imprisoned Mother Seeking Justice

The Iranian teachers' union challenge channel reported on Thursday, March 9, about the deteriorating health of Nahid Shirpich, a imprisoned teacher and mother of Pouya Bakhtiari, one of the victims of the November 2019 protests, following her hunger strike. According to this news source, Ms. Shirpich, who has gone on hunger strike in protest of her situation in prison, has lost significant weight and is in poor physical condition. The Telegram channel also reported that, by order of security officials and prison authorities, Nahid Shirpich has been deprived of contact with her family. Mona Bakhtiari, Nahid Shirpich's daughter and sister of the justice seeker Pouya Bakhtiari, previously reported on Saturday, February 16, about her mother's suicide attempt in prison. She posted on the social media platform X, stating: 'Today, after three weeks of not hearing from my mother Nahid Shirpich, 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 the need for Nahid Shirpich's release, holding the Islamic Republic responsible for any incident that may happen to her mother. Mona Bakhtiari had previously 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 family members. Monouchehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner and father of justice seeker Pouya Bakhtiari, had previously sent a voice message from Qazvin prison stating that he had been on hunger strike from November 7 until his release from prison, 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 of the Islamic Republic during the protests in November 2019 in Mehrshahr, Karaj, and was killed. Monouchehr Bakhtiari was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for initiating an international campaign for 'seeking justice for his son and all the victims' during the forty years of the Islamic Republic's rule. The Islamic Republic arrested Nahid Shirpich, Pouya Bakhtiari's mother, on July 9, 2022, accusing her of 'having connections with foreign intelligence services' and imprisoned her as well. In August 2023, Mehrad Bakhtiari, Pouya's uncle, was also arrested for 'protesting the pressures imposed by the Islamic Republic on his family.' He had previously been sentenced to six years in prison.