Members of Pouya Bakhtiari’s Family Arrested
The family of Pouya Bakhtiari, one of the victims of the November protests, has been arrested. The stated reason for the arrest is to prevent the holding of Pouya Bakhtiari’s forty-day memorial ceremony. Several visitors to the family’s home have also been detained for hours.
Mehr News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Propaganda Organization, reported late last night about the arrest of members of Pouya Bakhtiari’s family. Pouya Bakhtiari, a 27-year-old young man who was killed on November 16 in Mehr City, Karaj, announced that they would hold his forty-day memorial ceremony on December 26 at Beheshte Sakineh Cemetery in Karaj.
Mehr News Agency, in an “exclusive report,” claiming that “enemies… are trying to continue the unrest and instrumentally exploit a small number of victims’ families,” wrote: “One of these families whose son was killed under suspicious circumstances in the recent unrest was Pouya Bakhtiari’s family, who despite invitations and talks with them, became involved in the failed anti-revolution project of fugitives and actively persisted in their destructive actions; therefore, with a court order and in order to protect the order and security of the honorable and affected people, and also to prevent the continuation of the killing project and the repetition of armed actions against people, these elements were arrested.”
Monouchehr Bakhtiari and Nahid Shir Pishe, Pouya Bakhtiari’s father and mother, had been summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence in recent days. According to Pouya Bakhtiari’s father, Ministry of Intelligence officials told him during his three-hour stay at the ministry that they would not allow the holding of Pouya’s forty-day ceremony in any place other than covered locations and would prevent it; however, he insisted on his determination to hold this ceremony.
Last night, several visitors to Pouya Bakhtiari’s family home were also arrested. The human rights news agency “Hrana” wrote about this, quoting an informed source: “Tonight three cars and about ten civil activists as well as a number of lawyers went to the Bakhtiari family home to offer condolences and visit, and after the visit ended, the visitors were returning from Karaj to Tehran in three cars when security forces stopped one of the vehicles and arrested its occupants.”
Also, “Seham News,” a website close to Mehdi Karoubi, reported that security forces raided the home of Ms. Shahbaz Akbari. Initially they intended to arrest Maryam Karim Bigi at night, but since she was not present at home, they confiscated her mobile phone.
Shahbaz Akbari and Maryam Karim Bigi are the mother and sister of Mostafa Karim Bigi, one of the victims of the Ashura protests of 2009. Seham News reported that this mother and daughter were summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence two days ago and were interrogated and threatened for hours. In the interrogations, they were informed about reopening a case for Maryam Karim Bigi and also a new case for Ms. Shahbaz Akbari. Ms. Akbari must report to prison in the coming days to serve her sentence in the previous case.
Approximately 1,500 people killed in three days of protest
Several officials of the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic of Iran have confirmed that among the victims are 17 teenagers, approximately 400 women, and several security and police personnel.
Reuters news agency on Monday, December 23, 2019, in an exclusive report, citing three Iranian government officials who did not want their names revealed, reported that approximately 1,500 people were killed in the protests in the last week of that month in Iran.
Reuters reported that Ayatollah Khamenei himself, the leader of the Islamic Republic, ordered severe action against protesters. The news agency reported that Ayatollah Khamenei’s order for severe suppression of protesters was confirmed by three sources close to the leader of the Islamic Republic. According to Reuters, Ayatollah Khamenei ordered security forces to do whatever is necessary to stop them.
The statistics that reached Reuters news agency are based on information collected from various institutions such as security forces, mortuaries, police stations, hospitals, and forensic doctors.
Reuters writes that government representatives refuse to say whether this order was issued by Ali Khamenei in a meeting he held on November 17. Even the Islamic Republic’s representative at the United Nations refused to answer questions on this matter.
Reuters continued in its report that the wave of protests reached Tehran on November 17, which was the second day of protests. People wanted to end the Islamic Republic’s system and sought the overthrow of the Islamic Republic’s leader. Reuters, relying on videos published on social networks, writes that in some cities, protesters pulled down images of Ali Khamenei and called for Reza Pahlavi to return to the country.
Khamenei, on the evening of November 17, summoned senior security and government officials, as well as the president and government members to his residence. In this meeting, the content of which Reuters confirmed from three sources close to the leader of the Islamic Republic, 80-year-old Ali Khamenei, who makes final national and military decisions, criticized the way officials dealt with protesters and was angry about the burning of his images and photos and symbols of Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, by angry people.
According to a credible source, Ali Khamenei then said: “The Islamic Republic is in danger. You can do whatever you can to end this predicament. You have this authority from me.”
Source: DW
