On February 25, 2014, Bakhtiar participated in demonstrations demanding their release. His arrest at this rally and subsequent transfer to Ward 2-A of Evin Prison, controlled by IRGC Intelligence, revealed the extent to which the authorities viewed him as a threat. For a former IRGC commander to be treated as a political prisoner symbolized the deep divisions within Iran’s revolutionary elite.
The 2012 Audio File on Mahsa Amini
Context
In October 2012, Mohammad Baqer Bakhtiar released an audio file that shook public discourse in Iran. In it, he claimed—citing reliable sources in Iranian forensic medicine—that the cause of Mahsa Amini’s coma and death was a skull injury.
This statement directly contradicted the official narrative, which sought to downplay state responsibility. The case of Mahsa Amini, a young woman whose death became a flashpoint for protests, exposed deep fissures in Iranian society regarding state accountability, women’s rights, and the role of security forces.
