Sadegh Zibakalam Mofrad (; born 12 June 1948) is an Iranian academic, author and

pundit A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...

described as

reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

and

neo-liberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...

. Zibakalam is a former professor at

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 ...

and appears frequently on international news outlets including the

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 broad ...

and

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

. His books "''How Did We Become What We Are?'' " and "''An Introduction to Islamic Revolution''" are among bestsellers and prominent books on Iranian contemporary politics. Zibakalam has become a familiar face in Iran for his passionate and daring debates with hardliners in which he publicly challenges the state line on many sensitive topics.

Early life

Zibakalam was born into a Shiite family in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. He obtained his Ph.D. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be created in Britain, but ...

in the United Kingdom. Zibakalam was a critic of the Shah during his reign and was jailed for 2 years due to this. Zibakalam held several government positions after the 1979

Iranian 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 ...

and played a major role in the

Cultural Revolution in Iran The Cultural Revolution (1980–1983; : Enqelābe Farhangi) was a period following the Iranian Revolution, when the academia of Iran was purged of Western and non-Islamic influences (including traditionalist unpolitical Islamic doctrines) to align ...

, something he has later apologized for and expressed regret over.

2000 Parliament election disqualification

While teaching at

Islamic Azad University of Zanjan The Islamic Azad University, Zanjan Branch (informally Islamic Azad University of Zanjan) is a private research university in Zanjan, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in We ...

, Zibakalam registered as a candidate for the

2000 Iranian legislative election Parliamentary elections were held in Iran on 18 February 2000, with a second round on 5 May. The result was a solid victory for 2nd of Khordad Front and its allies, the reformist supporters of President Mohammad Khatami. Campaign A total of 6,08 ...

from Zanjan, but he was disqualified by the

Guardian Council The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution ...

Views

In January 2014, Zibakalam wrote an open letter to

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cl ...

and criticized him for not focusing on his campaign promises including freeing political prisoners and ending house arrest of the 2009 presidential candidates (

Mir-Hossein Mousavi Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh (, ; born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian politician, artist, architect and opposition figure who served as the 45th and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a reformist candidate for the 2009 Iranian p ...

Zahra Rahnavard Zahra Rahnavard (; born Zohreh Kazemi; 19 August 1945) is an Iranian academic, artist and politician. Rahnavard is a university professor, artist, and intellectual who was under house arrest from February 2011 to May 2018. In 2009, Foreign Poli ...

, and

Mehdi Karroubi Mehdi Karroubi (, 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 arrest in February 2011. As of 2021, he ...

). This was in reaction to a recent Rouhani's speech in praise of pro-government protests against

Green Movement Green politics, or ecopolitics, is a political ideology that aims to foster an ecologically sustainable society often, but not always, rooted in environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. Wall 2010. p. 12-13. It ...

protests on Ashura of 2009. Zibakalam has questioned the achievements of the

nuclear program of Iran The nuclear program of Iran is one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs in the world. The military capabilities of the program are possible through its mass enrichment activities in facilities such as Natanz and Arak. In June 2025, t ...

and for this he has been charged with "weakening the system". In February 2014, Zibakalam publicly stated that he recognized the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

because the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

recognises it as a state.

Imprisonment

Sadegh Zibakalam received a one-year prison term from the Islamic Revolutionary Court in March 2018 as a result of critical remarks he made in an "Interview with a Persian-language foreign medium,"

Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...

. In addition to the jail sentence, he got a two-year ban from any political and social media activity, as well as from writing for print media, in addition to the jail sentence. He was also accused of "spreading falsehood to disturb public opinion online."

Bibliography

*''How Did We Become What We Are?'' * *''Souvenir Photographs with Civil Society'' * *''An Introduction to Islamic Revolution'' * *

Accolades

* Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award (2018)

References

External references/links

Official website

Sadegh Zibakalam's Interview at The Guardian on Political views

Books by Sadegh Zibakalam

Sadegh Zibakalam's biography

Sadegh Zibakalam's profile at Middle East Institute

TAG : SADEGH ZIBAKALAM
at the

Center for Human Rights in Iran The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI; formerly the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, ICHRI) is an American non-government organization that aims to promote human rights in Iran. The group started in late 2007 when several huma ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zibakalam, Sadegh Iranian political scientists Iranian writers Iranian activists Academic staff of Zanjan University Alumni of the University of Bradford Academic staff of the Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch Academic staff of the University of Tehran 1948 births Living people Political commentators Alumni of the University of Huddersfield Iranian critics Iranian expatriates in the United Kingdom Political prisoners in Iran