The Mother of Justice-Seeking Bakhityari Brothers Alludes to the Islamic Republic: Build a Prison Just for This Family

The mother of the justice-seeking Bakhityari brothers, Monouchehr and Mehrdad, referred to the repeated arrests of her family members and sarcastically suggested that the 'Islamic Republic' should build a prison specifically for the Bakhityari family to imprison them all. Saba Bakhityari, the sister of the two prisoners, also pointed out the threatening rhetoric of the Islamic Republic against Israel, stating: 'Israel is still waiting for your severe revenge, and your power only reaches the empty hands of the people.' In a video message published on her daughter Saba Bakhityari's page on Tuesday, September 5, Bibi Zahra Bakhityari said: 'The Islamic Republic has taken my son for 20 days now and imprisoned him. I went for a visit yesterday and cried for two hours; they did not bring my son to see me. What has my child done? Is he a thief? Is he a murderer?' Bibi Zahra Bakhityari also emphasized that her son Mehrdad is deprived of basic prison facilities. She said: 'Why don't you give my son a bed? You are making him sleep on the ground. What enmity do you have?' She listed the sufferings imposed on her family by the authorities of the Islamic Republic, adding: 'You have killed my grandson [Pouya Bakhityari] on one side, imprisoned my son (Monouchehr Bakhityari) on the other side, and imprisoned my son (Mehrdad Bakhityari) here. If you are so upset, just build a prison for the entire Bakhityari family; take us all and imprison us so that you can sleep well.' Saba Bakhityari, in sharing this video message on X, stated that her brother Mehrdad has been transferred to 'Central Correctional Facility of Karaj' and is currently facing a visitation ban. She wrote to the authorities of the Islamic Republic: 'Remove your foot from my family's throat. Israel is still waiting for your severe revenge, and your power only reaches the empty hands of the people. Damn you.' After the killing of Pouya Bakhityari, a young protester during the nationwide protests of November 2019, his family has sought justice. Shortly after Pouya's death, the authorities of the Islamic Republic arrested all members of the Bakhityari family, and subsequently, several of them have been imprisoned through repeated legal fabrications. Mehrdad Bakhityari was arrested at his home on August 7. On the same day, Saba Bakhityari explained how he was arrested, stating that 'more than 20 armed agents of the criminal government attacked the house and violently arrested my brother Mehrdad Bakhityari. They pointed a gun at my defenseless brother's head. They did not stop at the usual blindfold and wrapped his entire head with a scarf and brutally abducted him.' The violent arrest of Mehrdad Bakhityari occurred just hours after he announced in a video that his other brother had been 'beaten' by agents in the Islamic Revolutionary Court and emphasized that the Bakhityari family 'stands by Iran until the end.' In this video, Mehrdad Bakhityari also stated that his nephew Pouya Bakhityari sacrificed his life for Iran, and two other family members, Monouchehr Bakhityari and Nahid Shirpich, Pouya's parents, are currently in the prisons of the Islamic Republic. Currently, Monouchehr Bakhityari, Pouya's father, is in Chubin Prison in Qazvin, and Nahid Shirpich, Pouya's mother, is imprisoned in Zanjan and has repeatedly faced life-threatening situations. Reports of pressure on justice-seeking families by the Islamic Republic in Iran have been frequent and are still increasing. Meanwhile, families of citizens killed in nationwide protests and those executed by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic continue to emphasize their quest for justice despite increasing governmental pressures.