Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, December 8, 2020—Dr. Mohammad Maleki, a prominent Iranian academic and the first chancellor of Tehran University after the 1979 anti-monarchical revolution, passed away on December 2, 2020.
Dr. Maleki was very popular among Iranians for his pro-democracy activities and protesting the tyranny of the clerical regime ruling Iran.
He was also one of the supporters and sympathizers of the Iranian opposition the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). During the first legislative elections after the 1979 revolution, he was among the candidates of the MEK.
In previous years, the regime’s security forces arrested Dr. Maleki on charges of Moharebeh (enmity to God).
In 2015, following heavy rocket attacks by Iranian regime proxies against MEK members in Camp Liberty, Iraq, Maleki said:
“Those who are today on the other side of the border, under rockets, are standing tall as mountains. For 50 years, both the Shah and the mullahs tried to destroy them, but they failed.”
Also, in 2016, Following the killing of a student at Sharif University of Technology, Dr. Maleki called on students and lecturers to set aside their fear and protests against the mullahs’ regime.
Following Dr. Maleki’s sudden death, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of the Resistance of Iran (NCRI), expressed her condolences. “He was under pressure and torture in prison for years for opposing the ruling theocracy. Following his release, he also endured pressures and restrictions,” Mrs. Rajavi said in a tweet.
Condolences on the demise of Dr. #MohammadMaleki, Tehran Univ. 1st Chancellor post-anti-monarchic revolution in 1979. He was under pressure & torture in prison for years for opposing the ruling theocracy. Following his release, he also endured pressures & restrictions. #Iran pic.twitter.com/pfz2LWlxHJ
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) December 2, 2020
Also, in a statement, more than 300 trade union, political, and civil activists commemorated Dr. Maleki and described him as “prominent figure in the struggle against tyranny.” “We express our condolences to the family of Dr. Maleki and to all freedom lovers,” the activists wrote in a statement published on their Telegram channel.
In another statement on December 6, a group of political prisoners in Evin Prison, Tehran’s Great Prison, Karaj Central Prison, Urmia Central prison, Qarchak Prison of Varamin, Sheyban Prison of Ahvaz, and Qom Prison hailed Dr. Maleki’s years of struggle against two dictatorships of the Shah and the mullahs.
“He spent his life struggling against dictatorships for the freedom of Iran and Iranians. He spent many years in prison, under torture, and witnessed many executions in the 80s. He taught us to seek freedom from the cradle to the grave,” the statement reads.
While being a very modest and grounded person, Dr. Maleki was a great defender of political prisoners and freedom activists in Iran, and never sought fame. His deed will never be forgotten.
