Institute for Iranian Contemporary Historical Studies (statesmen) WWW.IICHS.ORG Dr. Mohammad Motazed Baheri
Vida Moezzinia
Mohammad Motazed Baheri was borin in Shirza, 1916. As his Bahai father known as Motazedosharieh, was engaged in forging of documents, he became famous as Moftazahosharieh. When he received his diploma of high school in Shiraz, he went to the university of Tehran, and graduated from law school. He followed his political activity after September 1941, and became a member of Azadegan society. He became member of Tudeh party in 1945. He was in charge of the financial affairs of the party in Shiraz. He stole money from the party’s fund and fled to Tehran. Thus he separated from the party. With the same money, he left for France to continue his education. He received doctorate in penal law after a few years and returned to Tehran and began to teach law in the law faculty of Tehran university as an associate professor in 1958. Baheri owed his return to Iran to some of his close friends including Rassoul Parvizi and Jafar Abtahi who had close relationship with Assadollah Alam. So Baheri’s big successes was mostly due to Alam’s full support of him. It is worth mentioning that Baheri along with his many friends including Parvizi, Samad Namvar, Reza Sajjadi, Taghi Afrakhan and Kurosh Lashai joined Mardom Party founded by Assadollah Alam in 1957, and formed the left faction of the party, and managed it in practice. They had strong rivalry with the right faction led by Jamshid Alam and Amir Mottaqi. Baheri was responsible for the organization of young adults, and also propagations and the newspaper of the party. His active endeavors to attract university students and laborers, and to open party branches in the provinces made SAVAK feel concerned about the elections of the 20th term of majlis. When the elections were invalidated, Baheri parted with the mardom party, as his own attempts and those of his comrades faced with failure. On the other hand, he opposed against the political opponents of the government. Upon Alam’s taking the cabinet in his hands in 1963, Baheri, working in the Pahlavi foundation, was appointed as the administrative deputy of the prime minister’s office. In the February of the next year, he was appointed as the minister of justice which was faced with the disapproval of judges. In the ministry of justice, Baheri introduces some reforms and prepared some bills to be approved by the majlis. Some of his bills include: the regulations of trade unions, regulations for the punishment of law breaking physicians, and formation of conciliatory commissions. Baheri was the minister of justice until the fall of 1963. When Alam became the minister of court, he joined him in the ministry and for many years collaborated with him as his administrative deputy and the general deputy. Despite, SAVAK’s inclinations to disqualify him, he enjoyed the backings of Alam, further to the Shah and the Queen’s special attention. His other appointments included membership in the central council of the universities and institutes, membership in the higher council of organization for the guards of the revolution, socio cultural adviser of Pahlavi foundation, head of royal organization for inspection of education, and membership in the national society for the child protection. |