Abdollah Riazi Explained

Abdollah Riazi
Office:16th Speaker of the Parliament of Iran
Term Start:5 August 1963
Term End:7 October 1978
Predecessor:Reza Hekmat
Successor:Javad Saeed
Party:
    Birth Date:1905
    Birth Place:Isfahan, Iran
    Death Place:Tehran, Iran
    Death Cause:Execution by firing squad
    Profession:Mathematician
    Alma Mater:Lycée Clemenceau[1]

    Abdollah Riazi (Persian: عبدالله ریاضی) was an Iranian politician who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran for almost 15 years during the Pahlavi dynasty.

    According to Ali Rahnema, Riazi was "one of permanent and trusted figures" in the establishment, thus "experienced and adept at political correctness".[2] Fakhreddin Azimi describes Riazi as having an "unquestioning deference toward the Shah", which "contrasted sharply with his disdainful attitude toward the deputies, whom he treated virtually as schoolchildren".[3]

    Parliamentary career

    In 1963, Abdollah Riazi became a candidate for the 21st Parliament and was elected as the top deputy from Tehran.

    He was then elected as member of the executive committee and Speaker of the Majles (Parliament or Congress) for the first time.

    He remained Speaker of the Parliament in the 22nd and 23rd term, for three consecutive full four year terms or 12 years. In the 24th term he served as Speaker in the beginning of the term, but was succeeded by Javad Saeed.[4]

    Death

    Following the Iranian Revolution, he was arrested and faced three charges in the Islamic Revolutionary Court, including "corruption on earth", "collaborating with the former regime and trying to re-establish the Shah's idolatrous rule over the weak and defenceless people" and "treason"; eventually leading to execution.

    Notes and References

    1. Book: Houchang E. Chehabi. Iranian Politics and Religious Modernism: The Liberation Movement of Iran Under the Shah and Khomeini. I.B.Tauris. 108. 1990. 1850431981.
    2. Book: Rahnema, Ali. Superstition as Ideology in Iranian Politics: From Majlesi to Ahmadinejad. 2011. Cambridge University Press. 978-1-139-49562-2. 129–130.
    3. Book: Azimi, Fakhreddin. Quest for Democracy in Iran: A Century of Struggle Against Authoritarian Rule. limited. Harvard University Press. 2008. 304–305. 978-0674027787.
    4. Agheli, Bagher "Biography of Current Political and Military Leaders of Iran", Volume 2