Father Of Slain Iranian Protester Sentenced For Insulting Supreme Leader

The father of one of the Iranian protesters killed during the November 2019 demonstrations has been sentenced to an extra six months in prison on the charge of "insulting the leader."

The verdict was issued against Manouchehr Bakhtiari by the Qazvin Revolutionary Court, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), who is already serving a three years and six month sentence in Qazvin Central Prison.

His wife, Sara Abbasi, informed HRANA about his deteriorating physical condition, stating that over a year and a half ago, forensic medicine confirmed the urgent need for hernia and prostate surgery.

He has also been suffering from a toothache for over three months and has been denied specialized medical treatment and a medical furlough, despite the family's appeals to relevant authorities.

Bakhtiari was detained in his home in Tehran in 2021 by security forces, accompanied by beatings and insults. Subsequently, he was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to two years and six months of internal exile and a two-year travel ban in addition to his three years and six months prison sentence.

Bakhtiari's son, 27-year-old Pouya, was shot in the head in Karaj during the November 2019 protests. The family has accused security forces of his death. His father has been an outspoken advocate for holding the authorities accountable for the death of his son and hundreds of others allegedly killed by security forces.