Haleh Sahabi
| Haleh Sahabi هاله سحابی |
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|---|---|
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| Born |
4 February 1958 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | 1 June 2011 (aged 53) Tehran, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Political party | Nationalist-Religious |
| Spouse(s) | Taghi Shamekhi |
| Children | Yahya, Amene, Asie |
Haleh Sahabi (4 February 1958 – 1 June 2011) was an Iranian humanitarian and democracy activist. She was the daughter of former Iranian MP and veteran opposition figure Ezzatollah Sahabi, and the granddaughter of Yadollah Sahabi. She died at her father's funeral from cardiac arrest, the cause of her cardiac arrest however is disputed.
Sahabi was born on 4 February 1958, in Tehran, Iran, daughter of Ezatollah Sahabi, and Zahra Ataei, whose maternal uncle was Mehdi Bazargan. She was married to Taghi Shamekhi and has a son named Yahya and two daughters, Amene and Asie.
Sahabi was a member of the "Mothers for Peace" group and a campaigner for women's rights. On 5 August 2009 she was arrested along with others in front of the parliament during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second inauguration swearing-in ceremony. She was sentenced to two years in prison for "spreading propaganda against the regime" and "disrupting public order," but given temporary release for her father's funeral in May 2011.
During the funeral of her father, Ezattollah Sahabi, Sahabi reportedly got into an argument with several members of the Basij militia. According to her son Yahya Shamekhi,
"When we took the body of my grandfather out for the funeral ceremony, officials tried to stop the ceremony - that made the atmosphere very agitated, ... Finally they forcefully grabbed the body and took it away. Then my mother fell down and became unconscious. The doctor told us she died because of a heart attack."
Eyewitnesses, confirming that Sahabi was beaten by security forces, include Ahmad Montazeri and Hamed Montazeri (son and grandson of Ayatollah Montazeri) and an unnamed journalist quoted by International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. In an interview with the same radio, Hamed Montazeri said that
"I did witness a member of the forces hitting Ms. Sahabi on her upper body, and I testify that she fainted immediately after the strike. The offender hid in the crowd soon after that."
It has been the subject of speculation that her death may have been due to the injuries inflicted on her lung and intestines during the physical contacts. An anonymous person who claimed to be a surgeon that tried to save her at the last moments in a clinic in Tehran said in a video posted on YouTube that
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