Mike Pompeo calls for immediate release of Pouya Bakhtiari's family
With the arrest of Pouya Bakhtiari's family, the US Secretary of State called for their release and called on the international community to stand with the Iranian people. Social media is reporting that the Bakhtiaris have "set off for Tehran" with the aim of attending the Chelom ceremony on January 25.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter on the evening of December 24, 2019, that the United States strongly condemns the detention of Pouya Bakhtiari's parents and calls for their immediate release.
Pompeo continued his tweet by writing, "It is time for the international community to stand with the Iranian people and hold the regime accountable."
The parents and some other family members of Pouya Bakhtiari, one of the people killed in the November 2019 protests, were arrested on January 1. The reason for their arrest was said to be preventing the celebration of Pouya Bakhtiari's 40th birthday. A number of visitors to the family's home were also detained for a few hours.
The family of Pouya Bakhtiari, a 27-year-old young man who was killed in Mehrshahr, Karaj, on November 15, has announced that they will hold their son's 40th funeral on January 25 at Behesht Sakineh Cemetery in Karaj.
In this regard, Mehr News Agency wrote in an “exclusive news” claiming that “the enemies… are there to continue the unrest and use the few families of the victims as a tool.” “One of these families whose child was suspiciously killed in the recent unrest was the family of Pouya Bakhtiari. Despite being invited and talking to them, they were included in the counter-revolutionary project of the fugitive bankrupts and actively insisted on their structurally destructive actions. Therefore, these elements were arrested by a court order in order to protect the order and security of the honorable and damaged people, as well as to prevent the continuation of the project of killing and the repetition of armed actions against the people.”
Manouchehr Bakhtiari and Nahid Shirpisheh, the parents of Pouya Bakhtiari, were summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence in recent days. According to Pouya Bakhtiari's father, during his three-hour presence at the ministry, intelligence officials said that they would not allow Pouya's 40th birthday celebration to be held in a place other than an indoor location and would prevent it, but he has emphasized his determination to hold the ceremony.
“The departure of the Bakhtiari people towards Tehran”
Since the arrest of Pouya Bakhtiari's family, the audience on cyberspace and social networks has shown widespread reactions. In the most recent reactions, users have reported that the "Bakhtiaris" are leaving for Tehran.
Some users, by activating the hashtag "Our_Promise_on_the_Fifth_of_Day", have announced that in a coordinated movement, Arab tribes, Qashqai Turks, Baluchis, Kurds, and Azeris are moving towards Tehran.
Reports from Tehran indicate that since this morning, January 25, "counter-riot" forces have been deployed on Sattarkhan, Sadeghieh streets, and some other parts of Tehran.
A number of users tweeted that Tehran has been the scene of “security motorbikes armed with batons and guns” since today. They asked if this “maneuver” by the officers was to counter the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the victims of the protests on January 25, or to protest the arrest of Pouya Bakhtiari’s family?
Another user saw the presence of the "anti-riot guard" as a sign that the Islamic Republic's officials, despite being armed to the teeth, are afraid of the people.
In the latest Reuters report, citing several sources close to Ali Khamenei's office, it was stated that the Leader of the Islamic Republic issued a decree in a meeting to deal harshly with the protesters. These sources put the number of people killed in the protests and repression in November at 1,500.
Source: DW
