Ibrahim Yazdi Passes Away

Ibrahim Yazdi, the Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran and Foreign Minister of the provisional government after the revolution, passed away at the age of 86 in Izmir, Turkey. The news of Mr. Yazdi's death was published on Sunday evening, September 5. He had been suffering from cancer, and his condition had worsened in recent weeks. Ibrahim Yazdi was born in 1931 in Qazvin and moved to Tehran with his family at the age of six. Before the February 1979 revolution, he went to the United States and lived there with his wife and children. During Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's stay in France, he was one of his advisors and returned to Iran with him after the revolution. With the establishment of Mehdi Bazargan's provisional government, he first became the Deputy Prime Minister and then the Foreign Minister. He resigned from the government following Mr. Bazargan's resignation. After the first parliamentary elections post-revolution, he was elected from Tehran. Some critics claim that Ibrahim Yazdi played a role in the 'trial' and execution of several commanders of the Imperial Iranian Army. According to another account, he attempted to use his influence to save the lives of some former officials. One of the pieces of evidence cited against him is a film related to the trial of Major General Mehdi Rahimi, the last military governor of Tehran, who remained loyal to the Shah. Mr. Yazdi denied the allegations and requested the full release of the existing film in an interview in 2005. After Mehdi Bazargan's death, Yazdi became the Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran. He was arrested several times following the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential elections; in March 2011, he was released on bail due to his health condition. In 2012, Yazdi was sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to eight years in prison and five years of social rights deprivation on charges such as 'acting against national security' and 'spreading falsehoods' in connection with the Freedom Movement of Iran; he stated that the Revolutionary Court was not qualified to examine the charges against him. After being diagnosed with cancer, Yazdi intended to travel to the United States for treatment. Reports indicate that this trip was initially hindered by a travel ban and later due to the Tehran prosecutor's approval, it was not possible because a U.S. visa was not issued. Ultimately, he underwent surgery in a hospital in Izmir, Turkey, and, according to one of his close associates, he was unable to fly to Iran due to his health condition.