About
Abolhassan Banisadr was born on March 22, 1933, in Hamadan, Iran, into a religious family. He studied economics and sociology at the University of Tehran, then went into exile in France in 1963, where he earned a doctorate in economics at the Sorbonne. A close associate of Ayatollah Khomeini, he returned to Iran in 1979 and became president in January 1980. His term was marked by the American hostage crisis and the Iran-Iraq War. Impeached in 1981, he permanently exiled to France, where he criticized the Iranian regime until his death in 2021.
* 1933-03-22 — † 2021-10-09
Major works
- The Fundamental Principles and Precepts of Islamic Government (1981)political essay
- My Turn to Speak: Iran, the Revolution and Secret Deals With the U.S. (1991)memoir
Key milestones
- 1980Elected first President of the Islamic Republic of Iran with 76.5% of the vote.
- 1981Impeached by parliament and dismissed by Ayatollah Khomeini.
- 2021Dies in Paris, France, after 40 years of exile.
Themes
Iranian RevolutionIslamic governancePolitical exileCriticism of the Iranian regimeNational sovereignty
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordreference.com · curiosity.lib.harvard.edu