Abdollah Ramezanzadeh ( fa, عبدالله رمضان‌زاده) is an Iranian academic, writer and politician. An ethnic

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

, he is the former

spokesman A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

and secretary of the government of the

Islamic Republic of Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

during the presidency of

Muhammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...

. Ramezanzadeh is an

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...

in faculty of Law and Political Science of

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

, and a member of

Islamic Iran Participation Front The Islamic Iran Participation Front ( fa, جبهه مشارکت ایران اسلامی; ''Jebheye Mosharekate Iran-e Eslaami'') was a reformist political party in Iran. It was sometimes described as the most dominant member within the 2nd of Kho ...

. He was the governor of the Kurdistan Province of Iran from 1997 to 2001. In 1996, Ramezanzadeh got his PhD from

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. His thesis entitles ''"Internal and international dynamics of ethnic conflict: the case of Iran"''.

Arrest

Ramezanzadeh was arrested a few hours after the 2009 disputed presidential election. Shortly before his arrest, Ramezanzadeh released a historic speech posted on the opposition web sites and distributed throughout Iran and all over the world. He was in solitary confinement for 4 months and sentenced to 6 years jail. He is among the Iranian activists for the ethnic groups rights and the head of the Iranian Kurdish Reformists.

References

External links

Ramezanzadeh is facing trial in Iran
(BBC Persian) Spokespersons of the Government of Iran Iranian governors Iranian democracy activists Living people 1954 births KU Leuven alumni Islamic Iran Participation Front politicians Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch faculty Imam Sadiq University alumni {{Iran-politician-stub