Death of Seyed Ali Mousavi

Last updated

Seyed Ali Mousavi was the nephew of the 2009 Iranian presidential candidate and opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi. [1] Ali Mousavi died on December 27, 2009, during the 2009 Iranian election protests when he was reportedly shot in either the back or the chest by security forces during demonstrations against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contested election win. [2] It was reported by abc news that before Seyed Ali Mousavi was killed, he got run over by a vehicle. [3] According to france 24, reformist website Parlemannews claimed that Moussavi’s nephew died in the hospital after he was shot in the chest. [4] However, according to the times, Mousavi’s nephew died prior to arriving at the hospital. [5]

Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the official spokesman of Mir-Hossein Moussavi's campaign abroad, told BBC in an interview that Iranian secret police had called Seyed Ali Mousavi several times days before he was shot saying: "We will kill you." [6]

After he died, his body was taken to Ebn-e Sina hospital, where protesters demonstrated outside. The protesters were broken up with tear gas by the Iranian security forces. It was later revealed that the government had removed his body and taken it to an undisclosed location in an attempt to crack down on the protests. [2] [7]

Related Research Articles

The Iranian Green Movement or Green Wave of Iran, also referred to as the Persian Awakening or Persian Spring by the western media, refers to a political movement that arose after the June 12, 2009 Iranian presidential election and lasted until early 2010, in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. Green was initially used as the symbol of Mir Hossein Mousavi's campaign, but after the election it became the symbol of unity and hope for those asking for annulment of what they regarded as a fraudulent election. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi are recognized as political leaders of the Green Movement. Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri was also mentioned as spiritual leader of the movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hussein-Ali Montazeri</span> Iranian Shia theologian and activist (1922–2009)

Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri was an Iranian Shia Islamic theologian, Islamic democracy advocate, writer and human rights activist. He was one of the leaders of the Iranian Revolution and one of the highest-ranking authorities in Shīʿite Islam. He was once the designated successor to the revolution's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, but they had a falling-out in 1989 over government policies that Montazeri claimed infringed on people's freedom and denied them their rights, especially after the 1988 mass execution of political prisoners. Montazeri spent his later years in Qom and remained politically influential in Iran, but was placed in house arrest in 1997 for questioning "the unaccountable rule exercised by the supreme leader", Ali Khamenei, who succeeded Khomeini in his stead. He was known as the most knowledgeable senior Islamic scholar in Iran and a grand marja of Shia Islam. Ayatollah Montazeri was said to be one of Khamenei's teachers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iranian Reformists</span> Progressive political faction in Iran

The Reformists are a political faction in Iran. Iran's "reform era" is sometimes said to have lasted from 1997 to 2005—the length of President Mohammad Khatami's two terms in office. The Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front is the main umbrella organization and coalition within the movement; however, there are reformist groups not aligned with the council, such as the Reformists Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)</span> Primary intelligence agency of Iran

The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the primary intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a member of the Iran Intelligence Community. It is also known as VAJA and previously as VEVAK or alternatively MOIS. It was initially known as SAVAMA, after it took over the Shah's intelligence apparatus SAVAK. The ministry is one of the three "sovereign" ministerial bodies of Iran due to nature of its work at home and abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehdi Karroubi</span> Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician

Mehdi Karroubi is an Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician leading the National Trust Party. Following 2009–2010 Iranian election protests, Karroubi was put under house arrest in February 2011 – reportedly ordered by the Supreme Leader of Iran – without officially being charged, although he is accused of being a "seditionist" and "traitor". As of 2021, he is still confined to his house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir-Hossein Mousavi</span> Iranian reformist politician and architect (born 1942)

Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, opposition of Ali Khamenei the Supreme Leader of Iran, artist and architect who served as the 49th and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election unrest. Mousavi served as the president of the Iranian Academy of Arts until 2009, when Conservative authorities removed him. Although Mousavi had always considered himself a reformist and believed in reforming the Islamic Regime within the 1979 Revolution constitution, on 3 Feb 2023 in a big change of opinion and after 4 months of violent suppression of Iranian People by Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, he announced that "he no longer supports the current Islamic Republic constitution", and asked for a widespread referendum to fully change the constitution and make a fundamental change in Iran's political system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Iranian presidential election</span> Re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Presidential elections were held in Iran on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election with 62% of the votes cast, and that Mir-Hossein Mousavi had received 34% of the votes cast. There were large irregularities in the results and people were surprised by them, which resulted in protests of millions of Iranians, across every Iranian city and around the world and the emergence of the opposition Iranian Green Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Mir-Hossein Mousavi presidential campaign</span>

Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh served as the last Prime Minister of Iran, from 1981 to 1989, before the position of Prime Minister was abolished in the 1989's review of the Iranian constitution. Just before the Islamic Revolution, he and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard moved to the United States of America and came back to Iran right after the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. After they had been admitted to the structure of the government, two of the proponents of the Islamic Republic of Iran, namely, Hassan Ayat [Ph.D. holder] and Abdolhamid Diyalameh [Ph.D. holder and an MP] went to their lengths to remove Mousavi and Rahnavard from the political structure of the government but both were suspiciously martyred. After 20 years of absence from the political scene of Iran, on March 9, 2009 he announced his candidacy in the 2009 Iranian Presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Iranian presidential election protests</span> Protests against the 2009 re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

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 continued until 2010, and were titled the Iranian Green Movement by their proponents, reflecting Mousavi's campaign theme, and Persian Awakening, Persian Spring or Green Revolution.

Mousavi is a surname. It is also spelled Moosavi, Moussaoui, Moussavi and Moussawi. The word is an adjective in Arabic which means descendants of Musa. Notable people with the name include:

Following the 2009 Iranian presidential election, protests against alleged electoral fraud and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in Tehran and other major cities in Iran and around the world starting after the disputed presidential election on 2009 June 12 and continued even after the inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad as President of Iran on 5 August 2009. This is a timeline of the events which occurred during those protests.

Kahrizak Detention Center is a detainment facility operated by the Judicial system of Iran in Kahrizak, Tehran Province, Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Iran poll protests trial</span>

2009 Iran poll protests trial refers to a series of trials conducted after 2009 Iranian presidential election. Over 140 defendants, including prominent politicians, academics and writers, were put on trial for participating in the 2009 Iranian election protests. The defendants were accused of orchestrating "colour revolution" in Iran, and "exposing cases of violations of human rights." The trials were widely condemned by world leaders both in Iran and worldwide as a "show trial" with coerced confessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Green Path of Hope</span> Iranian reformist organisation

The Green Path of Hope is an Iranian association established by Iranian presidential campaign candidate, Mir-Hossein Mousavi. It was founded on August 15, 2009 as the organizational body of the Green Movement. Mousavi described it as the "countless self-initiated and independent social networks" which form the body of Green Movement. It has also been mentioned as a "political front" in some media.

Premiership of Mir-Hossein Mousavi were the third and fourth government of Iran after the Iranian Revolution. At that time, Ali Khamenei was the president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashura protests</span> Nationwide demonstrations in Iran following the disputed June 2009 presidential election

The Ashura protests were a series of protests which occurred on 27 December 2009 in Iran against the outcome of the June 2009 Iranian presidential election, which demonstrators claim was rigged. The demonstrations were part of the 2009 Iranian election protests and were the largest since June. In December 2009, the protests saw an escalation in violence.

Seyed Ali Mousavi may refer to the following people:

Mohammad Amin Valian is an Iranian student who was sentenced to death for participating in a 28 December 2009 demonstration protesting the 2009 presidential election in Iran. According to elple.net, charges listed against him were "Moharebeh, conspiracy to undermine national security, spreading propaganda, insulting high government officials." Among his crimes are

chanting "Death to the dictator;" statements released by the Central Council of Islamic Association of Damghan Science University, of which he is a member; and arranging debates between two marginal election candidates at the university. The evidence used against him included pictures of him throwing rocks at an Ashura protest

Events in the year 2009 in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The 2011–2012 protests in Iran were a series of demonstrations in Iran which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage". The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region.

References

  1. Several killed, 300 arrested in Tehran protests CNN, December 28, 2009
  2. 1 2 Hardliners seize Mousavi corpse as Iran regime hits back, timesonline, December 29, 2009
  3. "Protesters killed in Iran". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 28 December 2009.
  4. "Mousavi's nephew killed during protest, says opposition website". 27 December 2009.
  5. Fletcher, Martin. "Seyed Ali Mousavi, opposition leader's nephew, may have been targeted".
  6. Iran reformist Mousavi's nephew 'got death threats', bbc, 29 December 2009
  7. SEVEN IRANIAN OPPOSITION LEADERS ARRESTED - SEYED ALI MOUSAVI’S BODY GOES MISSING, San Francisco Sentinel, 28 December 2009