Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iranwire – Mehrdad Bakhtiari, uncle of Pouya Bakhtiari, who was killed during the November 2019 protests, has released a video detailing a recent assault on his brother by Revolutionary Court officers.
The video, which reveals visible wounds on his brother’s body, was accompanied by a message: “We, the Bakhtiari family, are an army and we will stand until the last breath and the last person.”
Mehrdad Bakhtiari addressed the Islamic Republic directly, warning, “Do not take your harsh revenge on us, the defenseless nation. This earth is round, and our turn will come.”
According to Mehrdad, his brother had visited the Revolutionary Court to follow up on a family case when he was attacked by “ten to fifteen officers” using “punches, kicks, and batons.”
Saba Bakhtiari, Pouya’s aunt, also released a video about the incident, asserting the family’s unity: “We stand by each other and Iran.”
She added, “All these years, the Islamic Republic allowed the worst pressures, torture, imprisonment, threats and assassination attempts on us, but we never stop fighting and suing.”
The Iranian authorities previously sentenced Manouchehr Bakhtiari, Pouya’s father to 18 years in prison. He is currently imprisoned in Qazvin prison.
Manouchehr was charged with “gathering and colluding to commit a crime against security,” “spreading lies,” “propaganda activity against the Islamic Republic and disturbing public peace,” and “collaboration with groups opposed to the Islamic Republic.”
His son Pouya was fatally shot on November 19, 2019, on the second day of widespread protests triggered by the government’s sudden decision to raise fuel prices.
Manouchehr was initially arrested on April 29, 2021, for seeking justice for his son.
Pouya’s mother, Nahid Shirpisheh, who witnessed her son’s death, is also serving a prison sentence in Zanjan.
