Mohsen Aminzadeh ( fa, محسن امین‌زاده, born 1957) is an Iranian

reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can ...

politician and former diplomat. Aminzadeh was a founding member of the largest reformist party, the

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 served as the Deputy Foreign Minister during the 1997-2005 administration of the Iranian 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 ...

. Like many other senior reformist politicians, Aminzadeh was arrested in June 2009 for protesting the disputed re-election of president Ahmadinejad and convicted in 2010 of conspiring to "disturb security" and "spreading propaganda" against the Islamic Republic.

Education

Aminzadeh received a B.Sc. in Mining Engineering from

Amirkabir University of Technology Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) ( fa, دانشگاه صنعتی امیرکبیر), also called the Tehran Polytechnic, is a public technological university located in Tehran, Iran. Founded in 1928, AUT is the second oldest technical uni ...

in 1982. He entered Shahid Beheshti University in late 1990 and studied for a Masters in Political Science. He also has PhD in Political Science from

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 p ...

Political career

In 1988, Aminzadeh was appointed the first head of a department dedicated to the press within the Ministry of Culture. He served as Deputy Foreign Minister from 1997–2005 under the reformist administration of

Articles and Interviews

* ‘This War Will Have Only Losers’ * Iran Faces the World: Mohsen Aminzadeh Outlines His Country's Approach to a Number of International Issues * Former Iranian Diplomat Condemns Military Ambitions, Suggests Reconciliation With US

Arrest and imprisonment

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

and

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 s ...

have described him as "a leading member" of the

. According to the semiofficial ISNA news agency, Aminzadeh was head of the opposition coalition's headquarters in 2009. He was arrested in June 2009, amidst the

2009 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 c ...

. On February 8, 2010, ISNA reported that Aminzadeh had been sentenced to six years in prison by a Revolutionary courtIran 'jails opposition leader Mohsen Aminzadeh'
BBC News, 8 February 2010 – making him one of the most senior of the 100 reform activists and politicians to be sentenced following the mass trial of the postelection crackdown. According to Aminzadeh's lawyer, Abbas Shiri, his client was convicted of conspiring to "disturb security" and "spreading propaganda" against the regime. Iran Faces the World: Mohsen Aminzadeh Outlines His Country's Approach to a Number of International Issues
/ref> He was released on 18 September 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aminzadeh, Mohsen 1957 births Living people Prisoners and detainees of Iran Islamic Iran Participation Front politicians Iranian prisoners and detainees Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line Iranian campaign managers