U.S. State Department Calls for the Release of Manoochehr Bakhtiari

The Deputy Special Representative of the U.S. State Department for Iran, on Friday, November 17, coinciding with the anniversary of Pouya Bakhtiari's death, called for the release of his father in a message on X. Abram Paley wrote: "Pouya, like thousands of other protesters during the 'Bloody Aban' protests of 2019, was killed by the regime of the Islamic Republic. His parents peacefully sought justice for their son. We will remember all the victims of the Aban protests and those seeking justice." Manoochehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner opposed to the Islamic Republic, who remains deprived of the right to contact his family and receive medical treatment, ended his hunger strike in Choubindar prison in Qazvin on Thursday, November 16. Mr. Bakhtiari was first arrested on April 28, 2021, after seeking justice for his son, who was shot dead by the security forces of the Islamic Republic on November 16, 2019, in Mehrshahr, Karaj. He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, two years and six months of exile, and a two-year travel ban. The judiciary of the Islamic Republic transferred this justice-seeking father from Karaj prison to Choubindar prison in Qazvin in July 2022. The Aban 2019 protests began on the night of November 15 due to a sudden increase in gasoline prices in several cities in Iran, including Mashhad, Ahvaz, Khorramshahr, and Behbahan. The protests spread to 54 cities, and ultimately, the Islamic Republic resorted to internet shutdowns in the country to suppress and kill protesters in various cities. On January 22, 2020, Reuters reported, citing sources within the Iranian government, that around 1,500 protesters were killed during the suppression of the Aban protests. The Islamic Republic has particularly intensified pressure on opponents, especially the families of those seeking justice, in the past two years, detaining and imprisoning many of them. In some cases, justice seekers have been forced to close their social media pages or refrain from activity on them. Despite this, the pursuit of justice has not ceased.