Jailed Iranian activist Manuchehr Bakhtiari, a vocal critic of the government whose son was killed in 2019 protests, has been handed an additional six months in prison for "insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic."
The human rights website HRANA said a verdict on the new charges was disclosed by Branch 6 of the Appeal Court in Qazvin on February 14. It did not say when the hearing was held.
The new charges against Bakhtiari follow another sentence handed down to him on January 9 by Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Karaj, which condemned him to 18 years in prison and 74 lashes for "assembly and collusion with the intent to commit crimes against the security of the country," forming and managing a group in cyberspace with the purpose of "disrupting the country's security," spreading "lies," "propaganda against the system," and "disturbing public opinion."
Bakhtiari was violently arrested in April 2021 when security forces apprehended him at his Tehran home.
Following his arrest, he was convicted for his activism and sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
The November 2019 demonstrations in which Bakhtiari's son was killed brought thousands of citizens out on to the streets of more than 100 Iranian cities and towns to protest against the government's sudden decision to raise gas prices.
The protests quickly turned political, with many chanting slogans against the Iranian regime and its leaders.
The Iranian Human Rights Organization has confirmed the death of 324 citizens, including 14 children, in the 2019 protests, but Reuters estimated that the actual number of people killed was around 1,500.
The Islamic republic's leadership has a long history of harassing, arresting, and imprisoning the families of executed political prisoners and protesters who were killed. Officials fear that statements and actions by families of those killed will spark an outpouring of sympathy and further protests.
In recent months, pressure has intensified on the families seeking justice for those killed in the November 2019 protests and during the current wave of nationwide protests triggered by the death in September 2022 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody following her arrest for allegedly wearing her Islamic head scarf improperly.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says more than 500 people have been killed during the recent unrest, including 71 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.
Nine protesters have been executed.