Mohammad Yazdi

Mohammad Yazdi (Persian: محمد یزدی‎, 2 July 1931[2] – 9 December 2020)[3] was an Iranian cleric who served as the head of Judiciary System of Iran between 1989 and 1999. In 2015, he was elected to lead Iran's Assembly of Experts, defeating Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president, by a vote count of 47 to 24.[4]

Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi
Yazdi in 2019
Chairman of the Assembly of Experts
In office 10 March 2015 – 23 May 2016
Preceded by	Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani
Succeeded by	Ahmad Jannati
Chief Justice of Iran
In office 15 August 1989 – 14 August 1999
Appointed by	Ali Khamenei
Preceded by	Abdul-Karim Mousavi Ardebili
Succeeded by	Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Member of the Assembly of Experts
In office 21 February 1991 – 23 May 2016
Constituency	Tehran Province
Majority	970,192 (4th assembly)
Member of the Parliament of Iran
In office 28 May 1984 – 27 May 1988
Constituency	Tehran, Rey and Shemiranat
Majority	156,049 (93.1%)
In office 28 May 1980 – 27 May 1984
Constituency	Qom
Majority	129,678 (83.1%)
Member of Assembly of Experts for the Constitution
In office 19 August 1979 – 15 November 1979
Constituency	Bakhtaran Province
Majority	101,735 (46%)
Personal details
Born	2 July 1931 Isfahan, Iran
Died	9 December 2020 (aged 89) Qom, Iran
Resting place	Fatima Masumeh Shrine
Nationality	Iranian
Political party	Combatant Clergy Association Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom
Other political affiliations	Islamic Republican Party (1979–1987)
Spouse(s)	Batoul Azari ​ (died 2020)​ [1]
Children	4

Early life

Mohammad Yazdi was born in 1931 to a religious family at Isfahan. Sheikh Ali Yazdi, his father, was a student of Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri and at one of the Isfahan mosques as chief mullah for Friday prayers and ceremonies investigated the people's problems.[5] Although his name resembles Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, the two men were not related.

Education

At first, Ayatollah Yazdi learned Persian language from his father and then went to Maktab. Also he departed to newly founded school to continue his education. When he went to Qom, he resided at the Feyziyeh School and learned religious courses from scholars such as Mohammad Ali Araki, Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Amoli, Ayatollah Shahroudi, Grand Ayatollah Hossein Borujerdi and Ruhollah Khomeini.[5]

Political career

Before victory of Iranian Revolution

Ayatollah Yazdi usually gave the lectures at mosques and house of scholars. Also he taught Morality course at the Feyziyeh School and discussed politic subjects.[6] Mohammad Yazdi was exiled by SAVAK many times to Bandar Lengeh, Bushehr and Rudbar.[5]

After victory of Iranian Revolution

After Ayatollah Khamenei became leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Yazdi served as the president of the Supreme Court. He remained in the post for many years before being replaced by Muhammad Hashemi Shahroudi.[7] Yazdi was a member of the Assembly of Experts[2] and the Guardian Council. He served as the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran.

This is some of the political career of Ayatollah Yazdi after The Islamic Revolution as follows:[6]

• Management of Imam Khomeini's Office in Qom
• Member of the dispute resolution council between Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Abolhassan Banisadr[8]
• Member of the Assembly of Experts constitution in 1979
• Temporary Tehran's Friday Prayer Imam, 1982 to late 1990s
• Chief Justice of Iran 1989 to 1999
• Member of the Assembly of Experts, 1991 to 2016
• Member of Iranian Parliament from 1980 to 1988 in Qom and Tehran
• Vice chairman of Iranian Parliament in the first and second periods
• Member of Guardian Council in the periods of the second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh
• One of the founders and secretary of Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom

Political views

United States

In the run-up to the February 2016 elections, Yazdi opposed bilateral relations with the United States.[9] In the popular election held in February 2016 for Assembly of Experts candidates, incumbent Chairman Yazdi was not among the 16 experts who received enough votes to represent Tehran in the Fifth Assembly of Experts.[10]

Many western media outlets pointed to Yazdi's exit from the Assembly when providing and emphasizing the gains that reformists made in the 2016 elections.[11][12][13][14][15] In a speech congratulating those elected to the Fifth Assembly of Experts, Yazdi advocated for peaceful, moderate relations with other countries, but went on to warn about dealing with enemies and characterized America as "The Great Satan".[16] Two days later, Fars News Agency reported the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei lamented the Assembly's loss of Yazdi as Chairman and warned of the risk that the West could influence or infiltrate Iran.[17] As of 9 May 2016, Yazdi remained on the Guardian Council,[18] which vets potential candidates for the Assembly of Experts. During Yazdi's tenure on the Guardian Council, human-rights organizations have criticized the Guardian Council's disqualification of reform candidates in the 2016 elections.[19][20]

Sanctions

In February 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Yazdi for "preventing free and fair elections in Iran."[21]

Work

Ayatollah Yazdi authored several books in English and Persian such as,[22] Your missing,[5] Answers of Mardooq's accusations[5] and Imamah in Shia Islam.[6]

Death

Yazdi died on 9 December 2020.[23] He was buried in Qom later that day.[24]

See also

• List of Ayatollahs
• Council for Spreading Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Thoughts
• Haghani Circle
• History of principle-ism in Iran
• Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom

References

1. همسر آیت‌الله یزدی دار فانی را وداع گفت
2. Khalaji, Mehdi (February 2012). "Supreme Succession. Who Will Lead Post-Khamenei Iran?" (PDF). The Washington Institute. Washington DC. Archived from the original (Policy Focus (No. 117)) on 16 April 2014.
3. Secretariat of Assembly of Experts, (Khobregane-Mellat), P. 655
4. Erdbrink, Thomas (10 March 2015). "Conservative Cleric Chosen to Lead Iranian Council". The New York Times. Tehran. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
5. Staff writer. "Biography of Mohammad Yazdi". hamshahrionline. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
6. Staff writer. "Biography of Ayatollah Yazdi in view of history". Tasnimnews. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
7. David Menashri (2001). post revolutionary politics In iran. Frank Cass. p. 48.
8. Baktiari, Bahman (31 August 1996). Parliamentary Politics in Revolutionary Iran. University Press of Florida. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-8130-1461-6.
9. "Iran's Experts Assembly Chairman Rejects Bilateral Relations with US". Fars News Agency. Tehran. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
10. Final results of Expert Assembly voting in Tehran province (Report). Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Iran. 29 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
11. "Iran elections: Reformists make gains in Assembly of Experts". BBC. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
12. Nakhoul, Samia (28 February 2016). "Iran's Rouhani welcomes poll wins that could mean faster reform". Reuters. Tehran. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
13. Regencia, Ted (29 February 2016). "Moderates dominate council of clerics in Iran elections". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
14. Mostaghim, Ramin; Bengali, Shashank (28 February 2016). "Reformers and moderates romp in Tehran as Iran election gauges popularity of nuclear deal". Los Angeles Times. Tehran.
15. Esfandiari, Haleh (29 February 2016). "Iran's Elections: Will Moderates' Gains Make a Difference?". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
16. "آیت‌الله یزدی در اجلاسیه مجلس خبرگان رهبری: مراقبت از هویت ولایت‌ فقیه حساس‌ترین وظیفه خبرگان است/ نباید با لبخند دشمن خوشحال شویم/ اقدام برای ورود من به مجلس بعدی خبرگان شایعه بود" [Ayatollah Yazdi at the session of the Assembly of Experts: Experts duty of care of the most sensitive identity of the supreme leader is / should be happy with the enemy smiling / action for my entry into the next Assembly of Experts was rumored]. Fars News Agency (in Persian). Tehran. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
17. "رهبر انقلاب در دیدار اعضای مجلس خبرگان:مجلس خبرگان باید انقلابی بماند/ مقایسه رفتار نجیبانه رای‌نیاورندگان انتخابات اخیر با رفتار نانجیبانه فتنه‌گران ۸۸/ نبودن آقایان مصباح و یزدی برای مجلس خبرگان خسارت است" [Supreme Leader meets members of the Assembly of Experts: Assembly of Experts should be revolutionary / compare gentlemanly behavior Raynyavrndgan recent elections with indecent behavior troublemaker 88 / absence of Mr. Mesbah Yazdi for the Assembly of Experts damage and is]. Fars News Agency (in Persian). Tehran. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
18. "Home Page of Guardian Council Website (see, اعضای شورای نگهبان (Members of the Guardian Council))". Guardian Council of the Constitution for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
19. Staff writer(s) (24 January 2016). "Iran: Threats to Free, Fair Elections, Guardian Council Bars Reform Candidates". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
20. Staff writer(s) (8 March 2016). "Iran Elections: Reformists Win Voter Support Despite Roadblocks and Irregularities". International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
21. "Treasury Designates Senior Iranian Regime Officials Preventing Free and Fair Elections in Iran". United States Department of the Treasury. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
22. Staff writer. "Biography of Ayatollah Yazdi". Jameehmodarresin.
23. "Ayatollah Yazdi passes away". Tehran Times. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
24. Bakhshi, Mehdi (9 December 2020). "Ayatollah Yazdi's funeral ceremony in Qom". Mehr News Agency. Retrieved 10 December 2020.

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