Abdollah Noori ( fa, عبدالله نوری ) 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 ...

cleric and

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. Despite his "long history of service to the Islamic Republic," he became the most senior Islamic politician to be sentenced to prison since 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 dyna ...

, when he was sentenced to five years in prison for political and religious dissent in 1999.Profile of Abdollah Nouri. BBC News
/ref> He has been called the "

bête noire ''Bête noire'' ("black beast" in French, meaning something that is an object of aversion or the bane of one’s existence) may refer to: * ''Bête Noire'' (album), an album by British singer Bryan Ferry, released on Virgin Records in November 1 ...

" of Islamic conservatives in Iran.Abdollah Nouri’s Two Conditions for Candidacy
/ref> Noori is a senior member of

Association of Combatant Clerics The Association of Combatant Clerics ( fa, مجمع روحانیون مبارز, ''Majma'-e rowhāniyūn-e mobārez'') is an Iranian reformist clerical political party. It is regarded as a left-wing party within the Iranian political spectrum. ...

, and also close ally of the

Executives of Construction Party The Executives of Construction of Iran Party ( fa, حزب کارگزاران سازندگی ایران, Hezb-e Kārgozārān-e Sāzandegi-ye Irān) is a reformist political party in Iran, founded by 16 members of the cabinet of the then Presiden ...

Career

Abdollah Nouri was called a "trusted lieutenant" of Ayatollah

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 ...

who was "the religious guide to the Revolutionary Guards early in the revolution."Sciolino, Elaine ''Persian Mirrors: the Elusive Face of Irans'', Free Press, 2000, 2005 p. 307-8 Khomeini appointed him as his representative to many other important organisations as well. Khomeini's successor, supreme leader, Ayatollah

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 presiden ...

, also appointed him a member "of a powerful council which advises him on major policies". However, Abdollah Nouri also supported dissident cleric, Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri, who was placed under house arrest in 1997 for questioning the authority of Ayatollah Khamenei. Nouri served as minister of interior for four years in then-President

Hashemi Rafsanjani Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ( fa, اکبر هاشمی رفسنجانی, Akbar Hāshemī Rafsanjānī, born Akbar Hashemi Bahramani, 25 August 1934 – 8 January 2017) was an Iranian politician, writer, and one of the founding fathers of the Islami ...

's first term cabinet. He also served as the minister of interior in

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 ...

's first term cabinet until his

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

by the conservative-controlled 5th

Majlis ( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...

for his "defence of political and social freedoms." Following his impeachment, Khatami brought Abdullah Nouri back to his cabinet as a vice-president. He was "generally seen as the most outspoken reformist" in Khatami's cabinet. In February 1999, he stood down from this post to take part in the municipal elections in February and was elected as the chief of the City Council 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 resigned from the Council in order to participate in the sixth parliamentary election. He founded a newspaper and named it '' Khordad'', named after the victory of President Khatami on the ''2nd of Khordad, 1376'' by the

Iranian calendar The Iranian calendars or Iranian chronology ( fa, گاه‌شماری ایرانی, ) are a succession of calendars invented or used for over two millennia in Iran, also known as Persia. One of the longest chronological records in human history ...

, equivalent to 23 May 1997. His newspaper advocated "freedom of expression, human rights and a modern and democratic Islam."

Trial

Based on the contents of this newspaper, Nouri was accused of insulting Islamic values by pushing for democratic reforms, dishonoring Imam

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 ...

's memory by questioning the authority of the Supreme Leader. According to a Western journalist, another explanation for his prosecution was that Nouri was very popular in Tehran and "the odds on favorite to become Speaker of Parliament in the February 2000 Parliamentary election," something imprisonment would prevent. He was tried by the

Special Clerical Court Special Clerical Court, or Special Court for Clerics ( fa, دادگاه ویژه روحانیت) is a special Iranian court system for prosecuting Islamic clergymen and scholars accused of improper activity and conduct unbecoming of a cleric. Th ...

in Iran and made an "outspoken and aggressive defense during his trial", refusing to accept the authority of this court, which he saw as unconstitutional. On 27 November 1999, he was convicted of insulting

Ayatollah 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 ...

, publishing

anti-religious Antireligion is opposition to religion. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe opposition to specific forms of supernatural worship ...

materials, disturbing public opinion, insulting officials, advocating links with

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 territori ...

and was sentenced to five years in jail. Readers of the ''Iranian'' voted him the most significant Iranian personality of 1999.

Release

Nouri was released from prison on 5 November 2002. He was released because his brother

Alireza Noori Ali Reza Noori (or sometimes Ali-Reza Nouri) ( fa, علیرضا نوری , April 8, 1962 in Isfahan – October 31, 2002) was a member of the 6th Iranian parliament and a supporter of President Mohammad Khatami's reform programs. He was t ...

, a member of parliament at the time, was killed in an accident. Noori was freed from Evin Prison when

Mehdi Karroubi Mehdi Karroubi ( fa, مهدی کروبی, Mehdi Karrubi, born 26 September 1937) is an Iranian Shia cleric and reformist politician leading the National Trust Party. Following 2009–2010 Iranian election protests, Karroubi was put under house a ...

, speaker of the Majlis at the time, wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader and asked him to free Noori as his father was suffering from the loss of his other son. Abdollah Nouri was mentioned as a possible candidate in the 2009 presidential election, but did not run.

Analysis

He is considered as one of the leading pragmatists among reformers, though his policies were aligned with Khomeini’s doctrines.

References

External links

Nouri banned from Iranian election
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nouri, Abdollah 1950 births Living people Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Iran Government ministers of Iran Iranian reformists Members of the Expediency Discernment Council Iranian Shia clerics Association of Combatant Clerics politicians Tehran Councillors 1999–2003 Chairmen of City Council of Tehran Iranian newspaper publishers (people) Heads of reformist fractions in Islamic Consultative Assembly Iranian prisoners and detainees Executives of Construction Party politicians Members of the 2nd Islamic Consultative Assembly Members of the 5th Islamic Consultative Assembly Impeached Iranian officials removed from office Iranian politicians convicted of crimes Vice presidents of Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps clerics