Roozbeh Farahanipour - Biography

Biography

On July 8, 1998, Farahanipour, along with his nationalist peers, organized the "Hezbeh Marzeh Por-Gohar"(Iranians for a secular Republic)or Glorious Frontiers Party, a political organization vying for a secular Iran. As many of the members were writers, they also formed "The National Society of Journalists," to combat suppression of the press in Iran. Farahanipour held executive roles in both organizations. With independent and secular platforms, the two groups faced opposition, threats and even violence from the Ministries of Guidance, Information and Interiors of the Islamic Republic.

The Marze Por Gohar Party gained popularity with its leathership in the 1999 Tehran University Uprisings "18 of Teer." Farahanipour had an integral role as an activist and leader in the protests. Subsequently, the Ministry of Intelligence proclaimed the Marze Por Gohar Party an "illegal Party" and denounced Farahanipour as "one of the leaders of the unrest".

Shortly thereafter, the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a Fatwa (CITE), offering a reward for Farahanipour's body. The Fatwa was published in several newspapers. (CITE)

On July 14, 1999, Farahanipour's house was raided by armed Islamic Militias. He and twelve comrades from the Marze Por Gohar Party and two Afghani houseguests were arrested. He spent 36 days in solitary confinement while being interrogated by Ministry of Intelligence and the revolutionary court. He was released on 50,000,000 Rials bail, paid with the deed to a fellow Iranians house.

After 11months of interrogations and hearings, Farahanipour decided to leave Iran. Until his escape from Iran, he continued writing and publishing, legally and illegally.

He spent two years restoring "Bayan-Olhagh", which was written by Mirza Mohammad Sadegh Fakhroleslam, using walnut and snake skin. He published articles in Iranian papers and attended various publishing conferences and exhibitions including "The Iranology Congress" in Australia.

Early Career

Farahanipour graduated from Raazi High School in Tehran and went on to study Law in the University of Tehran. As a result of his student activities and political stance, by 1993, Farahanipour was expelled from the University of Tehran's School of Law and banned from further education. He then involved himself in journalism and succeeded in reviving patriotic journals about pre Islamic Persia, its customs and culture, while attracting thousands of readers and followers. From 1994 to 1998 he was the publisher and chief editor of the monthly journalVohooman ("Pure Thoughts" in ancient Persian, one of the three major principals of Zoroastrianism), a journal dedicated to Iranian studies, with an emphasis on Zoroastrianism. During the same period, he founded the "Roozbeh Publishing" to further circulate research done in Iranian studies with a focus on pre-Islamic Iran. During the same time, he founded an independent publishing company under his own name (Roozbeh Publishing) to circulate his research on Iranian studies with a focus on pre-Islamic Iran. Shortly after Vohooman was banned, Farahanipour became Chief Editor of the weekly Nedayeh Ghomess ("The Call of Ghomess" - Ghomess was one of the capitals of ancient Iran). Under his editorship, five issues of this journal were published. Upon his attempt to publish the names of 57 people who were victims of serial murders, he was prevented from further activity by the Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of Iran and elements affiliated with the government.

On July 8, 1998, Farahanipour, along with some of his Nationalist peers, organized the "Hezbeh Marzeh Por-Gohar" and "The National Society of Journalists". He was a member of the executive committees in both organizations. These organizations maintained a strong belief in remaining independent from the government and faced opposition, threats and even violence from militias affiliated with Ministries of Guidance, Information and Interiors of the Islamic Republic.

In the pro-democracy movement of July 1999, the Marze Por Gohar Party, with the leadership of Farahanipour, was highly active. The Ministry of Intelligence proclaimed the Marze Por Gohar Party as an "illegal Party" and denounced Farahanipour as "one of the leaders of the unrest".

On July 14, 1999, Farahanipour's house was raided by armed Islamic Militias. He and twelve comrades from the GF Party and two Afghan guests were arrested. He spent 36 days in solitary confinement in Tohid prison while being interrogated by Ministry of Intelligence and the revolutionary court. He was released on 50,000,000 Rials bail, paid with the deed to a fellow Iranians house.

After eleven months between interrogations and the courts, and considering the fate of other activists, all of whom received unusually long sentences, he decided to leave Iran. Until his escape from Iran, he continued writing, legally and illegally.

In conjunction with his journalistic endeavors, he spent two years restoring "Bayan-Olhagh", which was written by Mirza Mohammad Sadegh Fakhroleslam, using walnut and snake skin. He has published many articles in Iranian papers and has attended various publishing conferences and exhibitions including "The Iranology Congress" in Australia. Present

While living in the United States, Farahanipour has opposed engagement by the United States with the Islamic Republic, advocating an internal toppling of the regime by Iranians and the independent establishment of a secular republic for Iran.

Settling in California's large Iranian expatriate community in Los Angeles, sometimes referred to as Tehrangeles or Irangeles, Roozbeh has continued his political activities against the Islamic Republic by organizing a new generation of opposition activists as well as leading political activity within Iran among Marze Por Gohar members and supporters.

In the summer of 2006, Farahanipour lead workshops abroad advocating non-violent demonstrations. He taught courses on civil disobedience to activists from different countries, including Iran.

His ongoing political activities include organizing demonstrations, such as the Persian Gulf campaign (CITE), which resulted in National Geographic's correction of the Arabian Gulf designation and the protests in 2005 against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the United Nations (CITE), for which Farahanipour chartered a plane to take activists from Los Angeles to New York.

Farahanipour has testified in formal hearings, such as for the California Public Divestment from Iran Act Bill 221 (CITE), and has had a pivotal role in directing various opposition activities and speaking publicly, advising government officials in Washington D.C. and addressing students and faculty in universities around the country about Iranian politics and activism.

Both Farahanipour and his mother Parvaneh Nasiri, who was arrested 24 hours after her son's arrest, were mentioned in a "List of individuals arrested" in the agenda of Iran: Limits to Rapprochement; a Senate hearing of the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations on July 22, 1999. (CITE)

In February 2002, Farahanipour's personal testimony of torture, as a political activist detained after the July 1999 demonstrations was mentioned in the United Nations' report Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights. (CITE)

During the 2009 post-election uprisings in Iran, Farahanipour and the Marze Por Gohar Party were active in organizing local protests. Farahanipour then crossed the border into Iran in July 2009, conducting organizational activities on the ground. After several days, he was able to safely leave the country.

Farhanipour currently sits on the governing board of the Westwood Neighborhood Council. http://www.wwnc.org/about/item/105-roozbeh-farahanipour to which he was elected 2010 for a two-year term

In America, Farahanipour has opposed engagement by the U.S. with the Islamic Republic which he believes can't reform itself into a democracy.

Where are the Human Rights Organizations When You Need Them?==Works== He has written and published:

• Standards of Bindery - in two volumes
• Who is a dictator - was published in the spring of 2000. After only one week it went into a second edition. The illustrations of this book were done by Davood Ahmadi Mouness, (a well known political cartoonist with the pen name "Arvin"). Though this book was written and illustrated for children, it was categorized as "new literature in political studies", by reviewers.

http://www.farahanipour.com/assets/pdf/WhoIsDictator.pdf

From the same series the following books have never been published:

• What is a pressure group

http://www.farahanipour.com/publications/feshar-group

• Serial Murders
• A playful lizard known as Messbah Yazdi
• Hassani, a bouquet of many flowers

• The forever Persian-Gulf
• The history of Iran's partition, simplified
• Nikbanoo, an Iranian Princess