Ezzatollah Sahabi
Encyclopedia
Ezzatollah Sahabi was an Iran
ian scholar, humanitarian, democracy activist, politician and former parliament member. He was famous for his political-economical social analysis, and also for the many years of imprisonment in both the pre-revolution and post-revolution eras. He was leader of the Nationalist-Religious Coalition from 2003 until his death in 2011.
, Iran
. His father, Yadollah Sahabi
, was an influential figure in the 1979 Iranian revolution.
He studied mechanical engineering at the Faculty of Engineering Tehran University.
in 12 February 1979. Mehdi Bazargan
, then Prime Minister of Iran
, named Sahabi as Head of National Budget Center. He was elected as a member of Parliament in election of 1980
.
In later years Sahabi was managing editor of the journal Iran-e Farda (The Iran of Tomorrow), which was banned by the Islamic government, and participated in the 2000 'Iran After the Elections' Conference
held in Berlin
, for which he was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment. He was well known as the leader of the Iran's Nationalist-Religious political alliance.
Sahabi spent a total of 15 years in prison both before and after the 1979 Islamic revolution
.
. They had a son and a daughter. In April 2011, he was hospitalized in Persian Hospital. On 1 May 2011, Sahabi went into a coma
after a stroke. On 31 May 2011, he died at age 81 in Modarres
Hospital and his funeral was held the next day.
, from cardiac arrest, and the beating and arrest of several mourners. According to an unnamed journalist present at the funeral, a "large group" of plainclothes and security forces present at the ceremony "beat a number of mourners", including Haleh Sahabi. Haleh Sahabi reportedly collapsed after trying to stop authorities from removing her father's body. According to Haleh's uncle, the woman died due to "the beating given to her, (which) were severe". However, her son Shamekhi stated that his mother died "not due to beatings but because of a cardiac arrest". Mourners reportedly arrested at the funeral include Habibollah Peyman
, a member of the Freedom Movement of Iran
, political activist Hamid Ahrari, and Hamed Montazeri, the grandson of the late dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. Fars news agency
denied there had been any clash with police and accused the opposition movement of seeking to politicise the incident.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian scholar, humanitarian, democracy activist, politician and former parliament member. He was famous for his political-economical social analysis, and also for the many years of imprisonment in both the pre-revolution and post-revolution eras. He was leader of the Nationalist-Religious Coalition from 2003 until his death in 2011.
Early life
Sahabi was born on 9 May 1930 in TehranTehran
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...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. His father, Yadollah Sahabi
Yadollah Sahabi
Yadollah Sahabi was a prominent Iranian scholar, writer, reformist and politician. A close associate of Mohammad Mosaddegh and Mehdi Bazargan, Sahabi was an active campaigner for the nationalisation of the Iranian oil industry in the 1950s. He was the father of Ezzatollah Sahabi.Sahabi studied at...
, was an influential figure in the 1979 Iranian revolution.
He studied mechanical engineering at the Faculty of Engineering Tehran University.
Political career
He was appointed as a member of Council of Islamic Revolution by Ruhollah KhomeiniRuhollah Khomeini
Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran...
in 12 February 1979. 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...
, then Prime Minister of Iran
Prime Minister of Iran
Prime Minister of Iran was a political post in Iran that had existed during several different periods of time starting with the Qajar era until its most recent revival from 1979 to 1989 following the Iranian Revolution.-Prime Ministers of Qajar era:In the Qajar era, prime ministers were known by...
, named Sahabi as Head of National Budget Center. He was elected as a member of Parliament in election of 1980
Iranian legislative election, 1980
Elections to the Majlis of Iran were held on March 14, 1980 and May 9, 1980. A total of 270 representatives were to be chosen.It was the first parliamentary election after Iranian Revolution....
.
In later years Sahabi was managing editor of the journal Iran-e Farda (The Iran of Tomorrow), which was banned by the Islamic government, and participated in the 2000 'Iran After the Elections' Conference
'Iran After the Elections' Conference
The "Iran After the Elections" Conference was a three-day social and cultural conference on reform in Iran organized by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and held in Berlin on April 7 and 8, 2000...
held in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, for which he was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment. He was well known as the leader of the Iran's Nationalist-Religious political alliance.
Sahabi spent a total of 15 years in prison both before and after the 1979 Islamic 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...
.
Personal life
Sahabi was married to Zahra Ataei, whose maternal uncle was Mehdi BazarganMehdi 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...
. They had a son and a daughter. In April 2011, he was hospitalized in Persian Hospital. On 1 May 2011, Sahabi went into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
after a stroke. On 31 May 2011, he died at age 81 in Modarres
Hassan Modarres
Seyyed Hassan Modarres , was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a cleric and a notable supporter of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. He was among the founding members, along with Abdolhossein Teymourtash, of the reformist party Hezb-e Eslaah-talab of the time, which was formed during the fourth...
Hospital and his funeral was held the next day.
Funeral
Sahabi's funeral was reportedly marred by the removal of his body by plain clothes authorities, the death of his daughter, Haleh SahabiHaleh Sahabi
Haleh Sahabi was an Iranian humanitarian and democracy activist. She was the daughter of former Iranian MP and veteran opposition figure Ezzatollah Sahabi, and the granddaughter of Yadollah Sahabi...
, from cardiac arrest, and the beating and arrest of several mourners. According to an unnamed journalist present at the funeral, a "large group" of plainclothes and security forces present at the ceremony "beat a number of mourners", including Haleh Sahabi. Haleh Sahabi reportedly collapsed after trying to stop authorities from removing her father's body. According to Haleh's uncle, the woman died due to "the beating given to her, (which) were severe". However, her son Shamekhi stated that his mother died "not due to beatings but because of a cardiac arrest". Mourners reportedly arrested at the funeral include Habibollah Peyman
Habibollah Peyman
Dr. Habibollah Peyman is an Iranian politician. He is the founder and the leader of an Islamist Socialist political party, named Jonbesh Moslamanan Mobarez, which is banned by the religious government of Iran. He is also one of the leaders of the influential Iranian opposition political alliance,...
, a member of the Freedom Movement of Iran
Freedom Movement of Iran
The Freedom Movement of Iran is an Iranian political organization which was founded in 1961 by Mehdi Bazargan, Mahmoud Taleghani, Yadollah Sahabi, Mostafa Chamran, Ali Shariati, Sadegh Ghotbzadeh and some other political or religious figures...
, political activist Hamid Ahrari, and Hamed Montazeri, the grandson of the late dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. Fars news agency
Fars News Agency
Fars News Agency is a news agency in Iran. While it describes itself as "Iran's leading independent news agency", news organizations such as CNN and Reuters describe it as a "semi-official" news agency with ties to the government...
denied there had been any clash with police and accused the opposition movement of seeking to politicise the incident.