Mohammad Tavasoli ( fa, محمد توسلی; born 15 May 1938) is an
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
democracy activist and politician. He is the Secretary-General and also the director of the political office of the
Freedom Movement party.
Early life
Tavasoli studied at
Tehran University
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 ...
in 1956 and was one of the members of
Anjoman-e Eslami Anjoman-e Eslami (Islamic Association, also Anjoman-e Eslami-ye Daneshjouyan Islamic Association of Students) is an Islamic student association in Iran that has backed Iranian reformers such as former President Mohammad Khatami and sponsored lectur ...
. He joined the freedom movement soon after it was established. He went to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in 1962 to study transportation and traffic. After visiting the United States in 1967, he was returned to Iran and banned from traveling. He was arrested in 1971 because he helped a member of
MEK and was jailed for one year. Before the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, he was one of the staff responsible for the advertising campaign rally to welcome
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
back to Iran after 15 years.
Political career
After the
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, he was elected as Mayor of
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
. He was mayor from February 1979 until February 1980. He was jailed with
Hashem Sabbaghian in 1983 but was released seven months later. He was jailed again in March 1988 and after the
2009-2010 Iranian election protests
After incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory in the 2009 Iranian presidential election, protests broke out in major cities across Iran in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. The protests co ...
after participating in a rally in June 2009.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavasoli, Mohammad
1938 births
Living people
Islamic democracy activists
University of Tehran alumni
People from Tehran
Iranian revolutionaries
People of the Iranian Revolution
National Front (Iran) student activists
Members of the Association for Defense of Freedom and the Sovereignty of the Iranian Nation
Secretaries-general of the Freedom Movement of Iran
Heads of political office of the Freedom Movement of Iran