Build a prison for this family

Referring to the multiple arrests of her family members, the mother of petitioners Manoucheher and Mehdad Bakhtiari sarcastically told the “Islamic Republic” to build a prison for the Bakhtiari family and lock them all up. Saba Bakhtiari, the sister of the two prisoners, also responded to the Islamic Republic’s threatening remarks against Israel, saying: “Israel is still waiting for your severe revenge, and your power will only reach the empty hands of the people.”

Bibi Zahra Bakhtiari, mother of plaintiffs Mehrdad and Manoucheher Bakhtiari, said in a video message posted on her daughter Saba Bakhtiari’s page on Monday, 5 Shahriwal: “The Islamic Republic has taken my son and imprisoned him. Mehrdad is my son and it has been 20 days now. Yesterday I went to a meeting in the Great Hall and I complained for two hours that they did not bring my son to me. What did my child do? Is he a thief? Is he a murderer?”

Bibi Zahra Bakhtiari also stressed in her video message that her son Mehdad Bakhtiari does not have the basic facilities of the prison. He said: “Why don’t you give my son a bed? You put my son down. What is your grudge?”

Speaking about the pain his family had been inflicted by the Islamic Republic’s authorities, he added: “This is my grandson. [پویا بختیاری] You killed my son, you imprisoned my son (Manochehar Bakhtiari), you imprisoned my son (Mehrdad Bakhtiari). If you are so unhappy, build a prison for the entire Bakhtiari family, take us away, imprison all of us, and give your heart some rest.”

Saba Bakhtiari posted this video message on X saying that his brother Mehdad has been transferred to “Karad Central Prison” and is currently facing a visitation ban.

He wrote to the Islamic Republic authorities: “Take your feet off my family’s throats. Israel is still waiting for your harsh revenge, and your power will only reach the people’s empty hands. Damn you.”

The lawsuit was filed by the family of young protester Poua Bakhtiari after he was killed during nationwide protests in November 2018. Shortly after Poua was killed, Islamic Republic authorities arrested all members of the Bakhtiari family, and several of them have since been jailed for repeated cases.

Mehrdad Bakhtiari was arrested at his home on August 17. Saba Bakhtiari described how he was arrested the same day Said “More than 20 armed agents of the criminal government raided my house and arrested my brother Mehrdad Bakhtiari through the raid. They pointed a gun at the head of my defenseless brother. Instead of blindfolding him as usual, they tied his entire head with a shawl and kidnapped him brutally.”

The violent arrest of Mehrdad Bakhtiari came hours after he announced in a video that another of his brothers had been “beaten” by officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Court and stressed that the Bakhtiari family will “fight to death” for Iran and stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

In the video, Mehrdad Bakhtiari also said that his nephew Pouya Bakhtiari died in Iran and two other members of his family, Pouya’s parents Manouchehr Bakhtiari and Nahid Shirpisheh, are in prison in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Currently, Puya’s father, Manouchehr Bakhtiari, is being held in Jobin Prison in Qazvin, and Puya’s mother, Nahid Shirpisheh, is also being held in Zanjan, facing life-threatening situations on several occasions.

Pressure from the Islamic Republic of Iran on claimant families has been reported many times and continues to increase. Meanwhile, families of citizens killed in nationwide protests and executed by the Islamic Republic’s judiciary have persisted in filing lawsuits despite increasing government pressure.