Tag: منوچهر بختیاری

Alborz Court of Appeals Upholds Manouchehr Bakhtiari’s 18-Year Prison Sentence

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Freedom of Expression, News, Prisoners
HRANA, Manouchehr Bakhtiari, منوچهر بختیاری

HRANA – Branch 1 of the Alborz Province Court of Appeals, after reviewing Manouchehr Bakhtiari’s appeal in a case dating back to 2020 on Kish Island, upheld his sentence totaling 18 years in prison.

According to HRANA, the sentence totaling 18 years in prison for Manouchehr Bakhtiari, who is currently incarcerated in Bandar Abbas Prison, has been upheld.

In a ruling issued on September 16, 2026, by Branch 1 of the Alborz Province Court of Appeals, Mr. Bakhtiari’s appeal was rejected, and his sentence totaling 18 years in prison was upheld, with modifications to the charges and penalties. The sentence of 74 lashes previously imposed on him was removed from the ruling.

According to the ruling, Mr. Bakhtiari was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the charge of forming and managing an online group with the aim of disrupting national security; five years on the charge of assembly and collusion with the intent to commit crimes against national security through cooperation with an opposition group; two years on the charge of publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion; and one year on the charge of propaganda against the regime.

The case dates back to events on Kish Island in 2020. A source close to Mr. Bakhtiari’s family told HRANA that the case was opened after he raised a flag on the island. According to the source, he was acquitted during proceedings in a Kish court, and the Supreme Court also reviewed the case twice, with outcomes in Mr. Bakhtiari’s favor.

In January 2024, Mr. Bakhtiari had previously been sentenced in the same case to a total of 18 years in prison and 74 lashes by Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Seyed Mousa Asef al-Hosseini. Following an appeal, Branch 1 of the Alborz Province Court of Appeals issued a ruling on April 20, 2024, overturning the judgment due to the trial court’s lack of jurisdiction and referring the case to the Kish Revolutionary Court for retrial.

On January 19, 2026, while serving his period of exile in Bandar Abbas, he was arrested and transferred to the city’s prison. He subsequently faced a new case. In late August 2026, Branch 1 of the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court sentenced him to an additional total of 10 years in prison.

Bakhtiari had previously been arrested by security forces at his home in Tehran on April 29, 2021, and was ultimately sentenced to three years and six months in prison, two years and six months of exile, and a two-year travel ban. After serving more than four years in prison, he was released from Choobindar Prison in Qazvin in October 2025 and transferred to Bandar Abbas to serve his exile sentence.

During his imprisonment, additional cases were also opened against Bakhtiari. In one case, he was sentenced to six months in prison. In another, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison and 74 lashes. The latter sentence was overturned on appeal, and the case was sent back to the Revolutionary Court for retrial.

Manouchehr Bakhtiari, the father of Pouya Bakhtiari, has stated that his 27-year-old son was shot and killed in Phase 4 of Mehrshahr, Karaj, during the November 2019 protests. According to Bakhtiari, Pouya, along with his mother and sister, joined protesters on the second day of demonstrations against the increase in gasoline prices. He was shot in the head and died before reaching the hospital.

Pouya Bakhtiari (born September 10, 1992; died November 16, 2019, in Mehrshahr, Karaj) was among those killed during Iran’s nationwide protests of 2019.

Manoochehr Bakhtiari Sentenced to Additional 13 Months in Prison

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News, Prisoners
Manoochehr Bakhtiari, Manouchehr Bakhtiari, Qazvin, منوچهر بختیاری

Manoochehr (Manouchehr) Bakhtiari, a political prisoner at Choobindar Prison in Qazvin, has been handed an additional sentence of 13 months and 15 days by the Criminal Court of Qazvin.

This latest case, which led to charges of “disseminating false information,” was initiated while he was already incarcerated. This marks the third instance of Bakhtiari facing further charges during his imprisonment. The verdict was issued on May 12 by Branch 110 of the Criminal Court in Qazvin.

Bakhtiari’s initial arrest occurred on April 29, 2021, when he was taken by security forces from his home in Tehran. The Revolutionary Court subsequently sentenced him to three years and six months in prison, with an additional two years and six months of exile and a two-year travel ban, starting in July 2021.

On November 1, 2023, while still serving his sentence, Bakhtiari received a six-month prison term for “insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran,” a conviction that was confirmed on appeal.

Furthermore, in January of this year, Judge Seyyed Mousavi Asef-Al-Hosseini of Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court delivered a significant ruling against Bakhtiari. He was sentenced to ten years for “assembly and collusion to act against national security, and for forming and running groups on the Internet to disturb national security.” Additionally, Bakhtiari received five years for “collaboration with anti-regime groups,” two years for “propaganda against the regime and disturbing public opinions,” and one year plus 74 lashes for “disseminating false information.” However, the Appellate Court later overturned these convictions and remanded the case back to the court for further review.

In a tragic and related turn of events, Bakhtiari’s son, Pouya, at the age of 27, was fatally shot by regime forces during the 2019 protests, also known as the Aban Protests, in Karaj. According to his sister and mother, Pouya succumbed to his injuries in the hospital after being shot in the head during the second day of the protest’s eruption.

Political Prisoner Manoochehr Bakhtiari Faces Extended Incarceration and Corporal Punishment

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News, Prisoners
Manoochehr Bakhtiari, Mousavi Asef-Al-Hosseini, Pouya Bakhtiari, Tehran, منوچهر بختیاری

Manoochehr Bakhtiari, a political prisoner held in Qazvin Prison, has recently been handed an additional 18-year prison term and 74 lashes as part of a legal case initiated against him while in prison.

Presiding over Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, Judge Seyyed Mousavi Asef-Al-Hosseini sentenced Bakhtiari to ten years for “assembly and collusion to act against national security, and forming and running groups on the Internet to disturb national security.” Additionally, he received five years for “collaboration with anti-regime groups,” two years for “propaganda against the regime and disturbing public opinions,” and one year along with 74 lashes for “disseminating false information.”

Bakhtiari conveyed this latest sentence to his family in a phone call on January 9, as reported by his wife, Sara Abbasi.

On November 1, 2023, Bakhtiari was also handed an additional six-month prison term for “insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran.”

Currently serving a three-year, six-month sentence in Qazvin Prison, Bakhtiari’s wife has raised concerns about his health, citing multiple ailments, and alleges that he is being denied access to medical treatment and furlough. She explained, “He endured a toothache for four months with infections spreading to his ears and eyes. Prison officials delayed his dispatch to a dentist every day until he had to extract his upper row teeth to alleviate the pain.”

Bakhtiari’s legal troubles began on April 29, 2021, when security forces forcibly arrested him at his residence in Tehran. Subsequently, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to three years and six months in prison, along with a two-year, six-month exile and a two-year travel ban. Bakhtiari began serving this sentence in July 2021.

In a tragic and interconnected series of events, Bakhtiari’s son, Pouya, at the age of 27, was fatally shot by regime forces during the 2019 protests, also known as the Aban Protests, in Karaj. According to his sister and mother, Pouya succumbed to his injuries in the hospital after being shot in the head during the second day of the protest’s eruption.