Lack of information about the condition of Pouya Bakhtiari's father; his protesting family detained for several hours

After at least 50 days of detention and lack of information about the condition of the father of Pouya Bakhtiari, a young man who was shot dead by Islamic Republic agents during the November protests, other members of his family were also arrested for several hours in recent days following a gathering in front of the Ministry of Interior building.

Mehrdad Bakhtiari, the brother of Manouchehr Bakhtiari (Pouya's father), told VOA that eight members of Bakhtiari's family gathered in front of the Ministry of Interior building on Tuesday, September 24, after not knowing about the condition of Manouchehr Bakhtiari, who has been in detention since July 13. They held a number of pictures of Mr. Bakhtiari and a placard that read, "Seeking justice is not a crime and release Manouchehr Bakhtiari."

According to Mr. Bakhtiari, after people joined the family's gathering to protest the illegal arrest of Manouchehr Bakhtiari, and following the family's protest, at least 20 plainclothes officers attacked the Bakhtiari family members, insulting and beating them, and arrested them all and transferred them to Tehran's Abbas Abad Security Police Detention Center.

Mehrdad Bakhtiari told VOA that security agents showed no mercy to Mr. Bakhtiari's 80-year-old mother during the arrest and beat her. According to Mr. Bakhtiari, after four hours of arrest and interrogation of the family members and accusations of "disturbing public opinion," all family members were released without bail or bond.

This is not the first time that some members of Pouya Bakhtiari's family have been arrested by security forces since the November protests. Previously, some members of this family were arrested by security forces on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the November 2019 protests.

Pouya Bakhtiari was one of the victims of the November 2019 protests in Iran. On the second day of protests against the increase in gasoline prices, he and other members of his family went to a rally when he was shot and died before reaching the hospital. Pouya Bakhtiari's family had announced that they would hold a gathering at his grave on his 40th birthday, but the Iranian regime also dealt with his family members and imprisoned some of them.

Regarding Manouchehr Bakhtiari's latest situation, Pouya Bakhtiari's uncle told VOA: "No one knows on what charges Mr. Bakhtiari was arrested and in which institution he is being held. He is not allowed to visit, nor is he allowed to make phone calls. Currently, the family has no information about his condition."

Referring to the illegality of his brother's arrest, Mehrdad Bakhtiari told VOA: "In the opinion of Manouchehr Bakhtiari's family, he was not arrested and we can say that he was kidnapped."

Mr. Bakhtiari says: "We have been oppressed in this country, our demands are not being met anywhere, and no court is listening to our cries. After Pouya's death and his father's lawsuit for his unjustly shed blood was launched, they confiscated our father's house without any ruling or court order, and recently they sealed our workplace. While we are only seeking a fair trial to hold the perpetrators and orderlies of the Aban massacre accountable for their actions, and certainly my brother's voice from inside prison is the same."

Earlier, the Voice of America reported that Manouchehr Bakhtiari was arrested by security forces at Kish Island Airport on Monday, July 13, while attempting to return to Tehran, and was taken to an unknown location.