Baktash Abtin
Is case active: Yes
Country:Iran
Region:Middle East and North Africa
Gender:Male
Status:Custodial/Wrongful Death
Baktash Abtin was a celebrated poet, filmmaker, and board member of the Iranian Writers Association (IWA). Along with two other IWA board members, he was convicted in 2019 for “propaganda” and “conspiracy against national security” due to his literary activities and for opposing state censorship. Abtin's six-year prison sentence was upheld on appeal, and the trio started serving their sentences at Evin prison in September 2020. On January 8, 2022, at the age of 47, Abtin died in hospital under state custody from complications of COVID-19 contracted in jail, after he was denied timely medical care.