The Anniversary of Pouya Bakhtiari's Birth Held with Expressions of 'Hope' for a 'Rebirth of Iran'

On the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, a memorial ceremony for the 31st birthday of Pouya Bakhtiari, a protester killed during the November 2019 protests, was held at his grave with the presence of some family members and civil activists. The ceremony took place on Sunday, September 10, at Pouya Bakhtiari's grave in Karaj. His uncle, Mehrdad Bakhtiari, began his message with 'In the name of Iran,' stating that this 'martyr of the path to freedom' would have turned 31 today, but unfortunately, he lies in the ground while his parents are imprisoned for seeking justice for their son. Mehrdad Bakhtiari emphasized, 'The memory of Pouya and his name live in the hearts of millions of free people. In hope of the rebirth of Iran! Long live Iran!' Prince Reza Pahlavi also shared a message on Sunday, posting a picture of Manouchehr Bakhtiari and Nahid Shirpichesh on the grave of their son on social media, stating, 'This proud point we are at now was not easily achieved. What brilliant souls have left us on this difficult yet bright path and have become eternal stars in the sky of Iran.' Prince Reza Pahlavi regarded Pouya Bakhtiari as 'an example of these eternal names' and described him as 'a patriotic, brave, and aware youth, raised by human-building parents, a lover of Iran and a freedom-seeker.' He added, 'On the anniversary of the immortal Pouya, we renew our pledge with him to fulfill his national aspirations.' The anniversary of Pouya Bakhtiari's birth comes just days before the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police. Pouran Nazemi, a human rights activist, shared a video from last year's birthday ceremony at Pouya Bakhtiari's grave on Instagram, stating, 'No one believed that just three days later, the streets of Iran would be filled with the smell of smoke and gunpowder. No one knew that thousands of brave and valiant youth would shake the pillars of tyranny.' She added, 'In memory of Pouya, who said, I am also someone's child, let us come together once and for all in hope of a better dawn.' Pouran Nazemi, in recent weeks and a year after the arrest of Pouya Bakhtiari's mother, referred to Nahid Shirpichesh as the representative of the large family of seekers of justice in Iran in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America.