Mohsen Sazegara ( fa, محسن سازگارا; born 5 January 1955) calls himself as

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 ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and pro-democracy

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

. He was the founder of

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

(Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps) after the revolution in 1979. He held several offices in the Government of

Mir-Hossein Mousavi Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh ( fa, میرحسین موسوی خامنه, Mīr-Hoseyn Mūsavī Khāmené, ; born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the forty-ninth and last Prime Minister of Ira ...

. He applied to become a candidate for

President of Iran The president of Iran ( fa, رئیس‌جمهور ایران, Rayis Jomhur-e Irān) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader. The president i ...

in the 2001 election but was declined. His reformist policies clashed with the Supreme Leader,

Ali Khamenei Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei ( fa, سید علی حسینی خامنه‌ای, ; born 19 April 1939) is a Twelver Shia ''marja and the second and current Supreme Leader of Iran, in office since 1989. He was previously the third president o ...

, eventually resulting in his arrest in early 2003. Following his release in August 2003, he moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

for medical attention. He currently resides in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early career

In the late-1970s, Sazegara was an undergraduate student at both

Sharif University of Technology Sharif University of Technology (SUT; fa, دانشگاه صنعتی شریف) is a public research university in Tehran, Iran. It is widely considered as the nation's most prestigious and leading institution for science, technology, engineering, ...

in Iran and the

Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP or TWI, also known simply as The Washington Institute) is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. WINE ...

(2005-03-30).
"Iranian Dissident And Political Activist Mohsen Sazegara Joins The Washington Institute As A Visiting Fellow."
(

PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...

Press Release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

. Retrieved 2006-11-06. during which time he was a leader of the student movement against the

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

. During the 1979 revolution, he returned to Iran and served as a founder of the

Revolutionary Guard Corps The Revolutionary Guard Corps (''Liwa Haris al-Jamahiriya'') or Jamahiriyyah Guard was a Libyan paramilitary Military elite, elite unit that played the role of key protection force of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, until Death of Muammar Gaddafi ...

and the managing director of the National Radio of Iran (1979–1981). In the 1980s, Sazegara served as political deputy in the prime minister's office, deputy minister of heavy industries, chairman of the

Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran The Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO) known as IDRO Group was established in 1967 in Iran. IDRO Group is one of the largest companies in Iran. It is also one of the largest conglomerates in Asia. IDRO's objective is t ...

, and vice minister of planning and budget. Sazegara became disillusioned with the Islamic Republic government. Following the end of the

Iran–Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...

in 1988 and the death of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989, he turned down further government posts, saying that his refusal was in order to continue his study of

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

.Sazegara, Mohsen (2005-04-11)
"Iran's Road to Democracy."
(

)
openDemocracy Ltd
Retrieved 2006-11-06.

Studies and reform

Sazegara earned his master's degree in history at

Shahid Beheshti University Shahid Behesti University ( fa, دانشگاه شهید بهشتی , Dāneshgāh-e Shahid Beheshti) (formerly known as the National University of Iran) is a public research university in Tehran, Iran. The university offers many programs at Bache ...

in Iran, and went on to complete his doctoral thesis on religious intellectuals and the Islamic revolution at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

1996. After the 1997 election of reformist President

Mohammad 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 ...

, Sazegara published several reformist newspapers including ''

Jameah ''Jame'eh'' ( fa, جامعه, lit=Society) was a Persian language reformist newspaper published in Tehran briefly between February and June 1998. Geneive Abdo described it as the first free newspaper in Iran. History and profile ''Jameah'' was l ...

'', ''Tus'', and ''Golestan-e-Iran'', all of which were closed by the hard-line regime. Believing that reform would be impossible with the current

Iranian Constitution The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( fa, قانون اساسی جمهوری اسلامی ایران, ''Qanun-e Asasi-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran'') was adopted by referendum on 2 and 3 December 1979, and went into force replac ...

, he launched a campaign to hold a referendum on the constitution. His drive to amend the constitution gained strong support among many students. In 2001, Dr. Sazegara became a presidential candidate; however, his candidacy was refused by the

Guardian Council The Guardian Council, (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, fa, شورای نگهبان, Shourā-ye Negahbān) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence i ...

, reportedly because his opinions were "not congruent with the wishes of the Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader.""Access Denied: Iran's Exclusionary Elections."
(PDF). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 6 November 2006.

Arrest

On Tuesday, February 18, 2003, Sazegara was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence, and held for five days, during which he protested by

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

."Mohsen Sazegara Freed and Hospitalized."
Iran Press Service. 2003-02-23. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
sazegara.net 2003-02-18. Retrieved 2006-11-06. His arrest was protested by the journalism associations the

World Association of Newspapers The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization made up of 76 national newspaper associations, 12 news agencies, 10 regional press organisations, and many individual newspaper ex ...

and the World Editors Forum, which together represent over 18,000 publications in 100 countries.Hong, S. H. & Anderson, G. B. (2003-02-21)
"To Express Concern at the Arrest of Journalist Mohamed Mohsen Sazegara."

. Retrieved 2006-11-06.

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

named him a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate release. Later that same year, he was arrested again on June 15, this time with his eldest son Vahid Sazegara, on the order 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 ...

Public Prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

Saeed Mortazavi Saeed Mortazavi ( fa, سعید مرتضوی, born 26 November 1967) is an Iranian conservative politician, former judge and former prosecutor. He was prosecutor of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, and Prosecutor General of Tehran, a position he h ...

. Vahid Sazegara was released July 9, but Mohsen Sazegara went on to spend 114 days in custody and 79 days on a hunger strike, during which he lost almost 50 pounds of his body weight. This was especially troubling, since Sazegara suffers from severe heart problems, having had two heart operations within the previous few years. After his release from Evin Prison, he left

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 ...

to seek medical attention in the

."Mohsen Sazegara Released."
Iran Press Service. 2003-10-07. Retrieved 2006-11-06.

. 2003-09-02. Retrieved 2006-11-06. ttps://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde13/020/2003/en/?open&of=ENG-2MD "Iran: Further Information on Prisoners of conscience /Incommunicado detention/ fear of torture or ill-treatment."2003-09-11.

. Retrieved 2006-11-06.

Continued activism

In the United Kingdom he called for a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

and launched an Internet petition, on which he gained the signatures of over 35,000 people. His continued calls for reform in Iran have led the regime to sentence him ''in absentia'' to seven years in prison, without clear charges."Iranian Sentenced in Absentia Laments State of Judiciary"
(2005-08-24)
''The Washington Post''
Page A12. In March 2005, he left the UK to attend to a job opportunity in the

at the

Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP or TWI, also known simply as The Washington Institute) is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. WINE ...

as a visiting scholar. Following a six-month term, he left the Washington Institute for Near East Policy for

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

's Center for International and Area Studies. By the end of the educational year he left Yale University to work at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

as a researcher on Iran.Beehner, Lionel (2006-10-20)
"Sazegara: Strong Talk and Sanctions May Resolve Stalemate with Iran."

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

. Retrieved 2006-11-06. As of February 2010, Sazegara has been "preaching" a "message of nonviolent action on a nightly basis," through videos calling on Iranian dissidents to avoid fragmentation and unite behind former presidential candidate

Mir Hossein Mousavi ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

. As of 2010, he was a visiting fellow at the

George W. Bush Institute The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which opened on April 25, 2013, is a complex that includes former United States President George W. Bush's Presidential library system, presidential library and museum, the George W. Bush Policy Institute, ...

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. Sazegara is a devout Muslim, and advocates for a separation of religion and state in Iran.

Notes and references

External links

Mohsen Sazegara's Weblog

Mohsen Sazegara
''

Freedom Collection Freedom Collection is a digital repository sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on Southern Methodist University's campus in Dallas, Texas. The collection documents major players in human rights and ...

'' interview
BBC Radio 4: Taking a Stand
BBC journalist Fergal Keane interviews Mohsen Sazegara about his life in a radio programme first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on December 14, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sazegara, Mohsen 1955 births Living people Alumni of the University of London Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Iran Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Iranian democracy activists Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian newspaper publishers (people) Iranian reformists Iranian Vice Ministers Sharif University of Technology alumni Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers Iranian prisoners and detainees Freedom Movement of Iran politicians Inmates of Evin Prison