Six-Month Prison Sentence for Manouchehr Bakhtiari Upheld by Appeals Court

The appeals court in Qazvin province has upheld a six-month prison sentence for Manouchehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner. The charge against the father of Pouya Bakhtiari, one of the victims of the November 2019 protests, is 'insulting the leadership.' According to HRANA, the news agency of human rights activists in Iran, the appeals court ruling was communicated on Tuesday, February 13. Furthermore, officials at the Chubin-Dar prison in Qazvin have cut off Manouchehr Bakhtiari's phone contact with his family for three months since January 8 of this year. This political prisoner, who was arrested at his home in Tehran in 2021 and sentenced to three and a half years in prison, two and a half years of exile, and a two-year travel ban, has recently been sentenced to 18 years in prison and 74 lashes in another case by the Revolutionary Court of Karaj. The charges against Manouchehr Bakhtiari during his imprisonment include 'collusion and conspiracy,' 'forming and managing a group in cyberspace with the aim of disrupting national security,' and 'spreading falsehoods.' Previously, Saba Bakhtiari, Manouchehr Bakhtiari's sister, reacted to the case against this grieving father, stating to Voice of America that he has done nothing but seek justice for his son and for the land of Iran, and that 'our people's struggle' against the Islamic Republic continues without fear of imprisonment. Additionally, Mehrdad Bakhtiari reported on the deteriorating health of their mother following the issuance of the 18-year prison sentence for Manouchehr Bakhtiari. There is pressure on the families seeking justice; Mehrdad Bakhtiari is being tried in the Revolutionary Court of Karaj. Authorities have deprived Manouchehr Bakhtiari of phone access for three months to contact his family. New charges have been filed against Manouchehr Bakhtiari; the Revolutionary Court has sentenced the father of Pouya to 18 years in prison and lashes.