Abbas Amir-Entezam
Encyclopedia
Abbas Amir-Entezam was the spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister in the Interim Cabinet of Mehdi Bazargan
in 1979. In 1981 he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of spying for the U.S., a charge critics suggest was a cover for retaliation against his early opposition to theocratic government in Iran. He is now "the longest-held political prisoner in the Islamic Republic of Iran". According to Fariba Amini, as of 2006 he has "been in jail for 17 years and in and out of jail for the last ten years, altogether for 27 years."
He studied Electromechanical Engineering at Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran
and graduated in 1955.
In 1956 Entezam left Iran for study at A.S.T.E.F. Institute (Paris). He then went to the U.S. and completed his postgraduate education at the University of California in Berkeley. After graduation, he remained in the US and worked as an entrepreneur.
Around 1970, Entezam mother was dying and he returned to Iran to be with her. Because of his earlier political activities, the Shah's Intelligence Service would not allow him to return to the U.S. He stayed in Iran, marrying, becoming a father and developing a business in partnership with his friend and mentor, Mehdi Bazargan
. In 1979 the Shah was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution
. Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, recently returned to Iran, appointed Bazargan as Prime Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government. "Bazargan asks Entezam to be the Deputy Prime Minister and the official spokesperson for the new government."
According to Entezam's website:
This was to later lead to imprisonment. In 1979 Amir-Entezam "succeeded in having the majority of the cabinet sign a letter opposing the Assembly of Experts", which was drawing up the new theocratic constitution where democratic bodies were subordinant to clerical bodies. His theocratic opponents attacked him and in August 1979 Bazargan "appointed Entezam to become Iran's ambassador to Sweden."
, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs
, asked Entezam to come back quickly to Tehran
via an encrypted message. After coming back to Tehran, he was arrested because of allegations based on some documents retrieved from U.S. embassy takeover
, and received lifetime prison from court. He was released in 1998, but in less than 3 months, he was arrested again because of an interview with Tous daily newspaper, one of the reformist newspapers of the time.
In smuggled letters, Entezam has related that on three separate occasions, he had been taken blindfolded to the execution chamber - once being kept "there two full days while the Imam contemplated his death warrant." He has spent 555 days in solitary confinement, and in cells so "overcrowded that inmates took turns sleeping on the floor - each person rationed to thee hours of sleep every 24 hours." He suffered permanent ear damage, skin disease, and spinal deformities." He has attacked the regimes saying
As of 2008 and after more than 25 years, Amir-Entezam is still in prison. He has always denied all the allegations that have been put against him in his trial and asks for a retrial.
Mehdi Bazargan
Mehdi Bazargan was a prominent Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government, making him Iran's first prime minister after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. He was the head of the first engineering department of Tehran University...
in 1979. In 1981 he was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of spying for the U.S., a charge critics suggest was a cover for retaliation against his early opposition to theocratic government in Iran. He is now "the longest-held political prisoner in the Islamic Republic of Iran". According to Fariba Amini, as of 2006 he has "been in jail for 17 years and in and out of jail for the last ten years, altogether for 27 years."
Education and career
Entezam was born to "a middle-class family" in Tehran in 1933.He studied Electromechanical Engineering at Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
and graduated in 1955.
In 1956 Entezam left Iran for study at A.S.T.E.F. Institute (Paris). He then went to the U.S. and completed his postgraduate education at the University of California in Berkeley. After graduation, he remained in the US and worked as an entrepreneur.
Around 1970, Entezam mother was dying and he returned to Iran to be with her. Because of his earlier political activities, the Shah's Intelligence Service would not allow him to return to the U.S. He stayed in Iran, marrying, becoming a father and developing a business in partnership with his friend and mentor, Mehdi Bazargan
Mehdi Bazargan
Mehdi Bazargan was a prominent Iranian scholar, academic, long-time pro-democracy activist and head of Iran's interim government, making him Iran's first prime minister after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. He was the head of the first engineering department of Tehran University...
. In 1979 the Shah was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini, recently returned to Iran, appointed Bazargan as Prime Minister of the Provisional Revolutionary Government. "Bazargan asks Entezam to be the Deputy Prime Minister and the official spokesperson for the new government."
According to Entezam's website:
Following the orders of the Prime Minister, Entezam sets out to rebuild the relationship between the US and the post-revolutionary Iran. He retains diplomatic contacts with the US embassy, advocating for normalization of the relationship between the two countries.
This was to later lead to imprisonment. In 1979 Amir-Entezam "succeeded in having the majority of the cabinet sign a letter opposing the Assembly of Experts", which was drawing up the new theocratic constitution where democratic bodies were subordinant to clerical bodies. His theocratic opponents attacked him and in August 1979 Bazargan "appointed Entezam to become Iran's ambassador to Sweden."
Imprisonment
In 1981, Sadegh GhotbzadehSadegh Ghotbzadeh
Sadegh Ghotbzadeh was a close aide of Ayatollah Khomeini during his 1978 exile in France, and Iranian Foreign Minister during the Iran hostage crisis following the Iranian Revolution...
, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iran)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is an Iranian government ministry. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the Cabinet member in charge....
, asked Entezam to come back quickly to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
via an encrypted message. After coming back to Tehran, he was arrested because of allegations based on some documents retrieved from U.S. embassy takeover
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian...
, and received lifetime prison from court. He was released in 1998, but in less than 3 months, he was arrested again because of an interview with Tous daily newspaper, one of the reformist newspapers of the time.
In smuggled letters, Entezam has related that on three separate occasions, he had been taken blindfolded to the execution chamber - once being kept "there two full days while the Imam contemplated his death warrant." He has spent 555 days in solitary confinement, and in cells so "overcrowded that inmates took turns sleeping on the floor - each person rationed to thee hours of sleep every 24 hours." He suffered permanent ear damage, skin disease, and spinal deformities." He has attacked the regimes saying
Islam is a religion of care, compassion, and forgiveness. This regime makes it a religion of destruction, death, and torture.
As of 2008 and after more than 25 years, Amir-Entezam is still in prison. He has always denied all the allegations that have been put against him in his trial and asks for a retrial.