Baktash Abtin

Baktash Abtin (born Mehdi Kazemi; December 15, 1974 – January 8, 2022) was an Iranian poet, filmmaker, and member of the Iranian Writers’ Association. He began writing poetry in the early 1990s, and shortly thereafter, driven by an interest in documentary cinema, he began making films with a critical and socially conscious approach while continuing to write poetry.

He became a member of the Iranian Writers’ Association in 2010.

Due to the critical nature of his artistic work and his principled activism in the public sphere, Abtin faced ongoing pressure from security and government agencies. He was arrested multiple times and received several sentences. In 2019, Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to six years in prison on charges of “propaganda against the system” and “gathering and colluding with intent to act against national security.”

He died on January 8, 2022, after contracting COVID-19 for the second time while imprisoned. His death was widely attributed to the authorities’ deliberate negligence and delay in providing medical care. He is remembered for seven books of poetry and 18 documentary films.