Manouchehr Bakhtiari was arrested once again; he was "thrown into the trunk of a car and taken away"

The father of Pouya Bakhtiari, a young man who was shot dead by Islamic Republic security forces during the November 2019 protests, was once again violently arrested by security forces.

Mehrdad Bakhtiari, Manouchehr Bakhtiari's brother, confirmed the news to Voice of America, telling them that security forces stormed his brother's house on Thursday, May 29, severely beat him, violently put him in the trunk of a car, and took him to an unknown location.

He added that not only Mr. Bakhtiari, but also some other members of his family, including an infant child and neighbors who were present to prevent Mr. Bakhtiari from being beaten, were also beaten by the officers.

Mr. Bakhtiari also said that he had contacted the Intelligence News Headquarters to determine the location of the arrest or the arresting agency, but they expressed ignorance.

Masih Alinejad, an independent journalist and host and commentator on the Voice of America program Tablet, also posted a video of Manouchehr Bakhtiari's mother and wrote: "The height of a government's violence against the most nonviolent protests of families demanding justice. Families will not back down."

This is not the first time that Manouchehr Bakhtiari or other members of his family have been arrested. He was first arrested by security forces on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the November 2019 protests, along with some other members of his family. Mr. Bakhtiari was subsequently arrested many times by security forces and was temporarily released after posting bail.

Pouya Bakhtiari, the son of Manouchehr Bakhtiari and one of the victims of the November 2019 protests, is in Iran. He was shot while marching with other family members on the second day of protests against the increase in gasoline prices and died before reaching the hospital.

The US State Department has repeatedly and on various occasions condemned the violent confrontations and widespread repression of protesters, as well as the repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by the Islamic Republic.

Source: Voice of America