23 Facts About Ahmad Zeidabadi

Ahmad Zeidabadi is an Iranian journalist, academic, writer and political analyst and the secretary general of Office for Strengthening Unity.

Ahmad Zeidabadi is one of the notable figures of the Iranian reform movement.

Ahmad Zeidabadi is the winner of the World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom Award for 2010.

Ahmad Zeidabadi holds a doctorate degree in international relations from Tehran University.

Ahmad Zeidabadi's articles appeared in many newspapers and other media such as Rooz and BBC Persian.

Ahmad Zeidabadi worked with Hamshahri newspaper as well as other reformist newspapers which started being published after Iran's election in 1997.

Ahmad Zeidabadi is the secretary general of Office for Strengthening Unity and is one of the notable figures in Iranian reform movement.

Ahmad Zeidabadi is a member of the board of Iran's Journalists' Union.

Ahmad Zeidabadi has always defended ethnic and religious minority rights in his articles and speeches.

Ahmad Zeidabadi is an expert on Arab-Israeli conflict and has published articles supporting the peace process.

Ahmad Zeidabadi went on to become president of ATV, which is the alumni association of Daftar-e Tahkim Vahdat, the Office for Strengthening Unity, one of Iran's most prominent student organizations and a major pro-democracy force.

Ahmad Zeidabadi, ideologically affiliated with Iran's Melli-Mazhabi movement, first became a target of the judiciary when the government cracked down on that and other political movements affiliated with reformist ex-President Mohammad Khatami in 2000.

Ahmad Zeidabadi was subjected to the first of many violations of his right to free expression in the year 2000.

Ahmad Zeidabadi was arrested for 'failure to respond to a court summons' and sentenced to seven months in Evin prison in Tehran, including two months in solitary confinement.

Ahmad Zeidabadi was detained again less than two weeks after his release, this time on allegations of 'conspiring against the government.

Ahmad Zeidabadi was tried again in early 2002 and sentenced to 23 months in prison, which was eventually reduced to 13 months.

In June 2009, right after the Iranian presidential election, security forces arrested Ahmad Zeidabadi and took him to prison.

The living conditions Ahmad Zeidabadi endured while in prison prompted him to partake in a hunger strike that was broken by force by security forces.

Ahmad Zeidabadi said that Ahmad Zeidabadi told her that he had been held in solitary confinement for 35 days after his arrest in a coffin-like cell only 1.5m long.

Ahmad Zeidabadi had apparently gone on hunger strike for 17 days until doctors convinced him to stop.

Ahmad Zeidabadi is charged with sedition and propaganda against Iran's regime.

An independent international jury of 12 media professionals selected Ahmad Zeidabadi, according to UNESCO.

Ahmad Zeidabadi supported reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi in the disputed 2009 presidential election.