Hasan Nazih () (1921–2012) was an Iranian civil rights lawyer and politician. Following the Islamic revolution in Iran he briefly served as the head of the

National Iranian Oil Company The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC; ) is a government-owned national oil and natural gas producer and distributor under the direction of the Ministry of Petroleum of Iran. NIOC was established in 1951 and restructured under The Consorti ...

(NIOC) between February and September 1979.

Early life and education

Nazih was born in Tabriz in 1921. However, there is another report giving his birth year as 1920. He held a law degree, which he received from the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

in 1944. Until 1953 he attended the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

for doctoral study in law, but he returned to Iran without completing his study.

Political activities and career

After graduation Nazih served as a judge in Iran for four years before pursuing his graduate studies at the University of Geneva which he did not complete, and therefore, he returned to Iran in 1953. He was one of the central council members of the National Front and a supporter of Prime Minister

Mohammad Mosaddegh Mohammad Mosaddegh (, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, elected by the 1950 Iranian legislative election, 16th Majlis. He was a membe ...

during the 1950s. He joined the foundation of the

Liberation Movement of Iran Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

or Freedom Movement which was led by Mahdi Bazargan in 1961. Nazih founded the Association of Iranian Jurists and served as its director from 1966 to 1978. He was one of the lawyers of Mahmoud Taleghani together with

Ahmad Sayyed Javadi Ahmad Sayyed Javadi (; 24 June 1917 – 31 March 2013) was an Iranian lawyer, political activist and politician, who served as interior minister and justice minister. He was the first interior minister after the 1979 revolution in Iran. Ear ...

in 1977. The same year Nazih significantly contributed to the formation of the

Iranian Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

. Nazih was also among the prominent figures who supported the

1979 revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

. However, he did not support the

Assembly of Experts The Assembly of Experts (), also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts, is the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme Leader of Iran. All directly elected members must first be vetted ...

which drafted Iran's new constitution. On the other hand, he was appointed by Prime Minister Mahdi Bazargan as head of the NIOC on 17 February 1979. Nazih was a critic of

Ayatollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

and stated on 28 May that the Ayatollah's remarks on labelling on those who opposed to the religious leadership enemies of the revolution were not acceptable. The members of the Revolutionary Council,

Mohammad Beheshti Sayyed Mohammad Hosseini Beheshti (; 24 October 1928 – 28 June 1981) was an Iranian jurist, poetic philosopher, cleric and politician who was known as the second person in the political hierarchy of Iran after the Revolution. Beheshti is co ...

and Mohammad Mofatteh, argued that since Nazih criticised Khomeini with this statement, he should be sacked. In addition, Ayatollah Khomeini's son-in-law Shahabuddin Eshraqi initiated a campaign against him in July 1979. They accused Nazih of being a

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

agent. On 28 September 1979, Nazih was relieved from the post by the prime minister and also, forced underground. Nazih announced that he wanted to be tried by a panel, including Mahdi Bazargan and Khomeini.

Ali Akbar Moinfar Ali Akbar Moinfar (; 14 January 1928 – 2 January 2018) was an Iranian politician and the first oil minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, serving briefly from 1979 to 1980. He later served as a member of the Parliament of Iran from 1980 to ...

, who would also become the first oil minister, succeeded Nazih as the head of the NIOC. Later the case against Nazih was dropped by the prosecution.

Exile and death

Nazih fled Iran and settled in France in autumn 1979, and there he took refuge. Nazih also left the Freedom Movement in 1979. In exile, he formed the Front for the National Sovereignty of Iran in 1983. Later he headed the Council for the Preparation of a Transition Government in Iran, which had been formed in Germany in 1992. The group launched a publication with the editorship of Nazih in Germany. In his later years, Nazih suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

and died in Paris in September 2012.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nazih, Hasan 20th-century Iranian politicians 1921 births 2012 deaths Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Freedom Movement of Iran politicians Iranian activists Iranian emigrants to France Iranian emigrants to Germany Iranian expatriates in Switzerland 20th-century Iranian judges Members of the Iranian Committee for the Defense of Freedom and Human Rights Directors of the National Iranian Oil Company National Front (Iran) politicians Deaths from dementia in France Politicians from Tabriz University of Tehran alumni