Abbas Abdi | |
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 Abdi in 2016 | |
| Born | (1956-10-01)1 October 1956 (age 68) |
| Alma mater | Amir Kabir University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, social researcher, human rights activist |
| Known for | Editor-in-chief ofSalam daily newspaper |
| Political party | Union of Islamic Iran People Party |
Abbas Abdi (/ɑːˈboʊseɪɑːbˈdiː/ ⓘ;Persian:عباس عبدی; born 1 October 1956) is an Iranianreformist. He is also a journalist, self-taught sociologist, and social activist.
Abdi was born in 1956.[1] He studied polymer engineering atTehran Polytechnic. He worked briefly in the foreign intelligence department of the Prime Minister's Office of Research and Information and served as the cultural deputy in theCenter for Strategic Research under the president's office. He was a member of the editorial board of the dailySalam. Abdi was a member of central council ofIran Participation Front, and is currently the chairman of theAssociation of Iranian Journalists.
He was the first person to storm the United States embassy in Tehran, along with other students, during the early years of theIranian Revolution in 1979.[1] In the following years, he became a critic of the political establishment of Iran. In 1993, he was imprisoned for eight months due to his critical writings in the reformist daily,Salam.[1] He was a supporter of PresidentMohammad Khatami's reform plans, and one of the most influential figures in the reformist camp after 1997. He ran into legal trouble after theIran student protests, July 1999 following the invasion of Tehran University dormitories, in which the police attacked the dormitory of the university because of student protests following Abdi's article inSalam.
Abdi became the director of theAyandeh public opinion firm and participated in a poll asking Iranians if they supported resuming government dialogue with the United States.[2] On 22 September 2002 the official news agencyIRNA published an Ayandeh poll indicating that 74.4% of Iranians favored a resumption of ties with the United States. Abdi was arrested at his home on 4 November 2002, accused of "having received money from either the US polling firm Gallup or a foreign embassy".[3] Abdi spent several years in prison as a result. Inthe 2009 presidential election he was one of the key advisors toMehdi Karroubi.
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