Full Name:
Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi
Biography:
Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi was born in 1945 in the city of Najafabad, Isfahan Province, Iran. He was educated in a seminary school.
Positions:
- Intelligence Minister in 1998
- Prosecutor-General of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 2003 to 2009
- Member of the Assembly of Experts in 2013
Human Rights Violations (in chronological order) :
For decades, Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi has held major political and judicial offices and has been involved in various human rights violations.
- Murders of political dissidents
As Intelligence Minister in 1998, Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi played a major role in the serial killings of regime critics. The Ministry of Intelligence stated that an “arbitrary” group of his employees were responsible for the murders of Mohammad Mokhtari and Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh of the Iranian Writer’s Association, as well as for the murders of Dariush Forouhar and Parvaneh Eskandari of the Iranian People’s Party. He repeatedly refused to investigate the perpetrators of the serial killings.
- Murder of Zahra Kazemi
Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi was serving as the Prosecutor General in 2003, when Canadian-Iranian photographer, Zahra Kazemi was murdered. Ignoring her death entirely, Dorri-Najafabadi refused to prosecute the perpetrators of her murder.
- Oppression of Members of the Baha’i Faith
Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi is also responsible for the perpetrating human rights violations against Baha’i citizens in 2008, when he announced severe punishments for and restrictions on being a Baha’i. He charged unfairly tried seven members of the Yaran religious community, convicting them on charges of blasphemy, propaganda against the regime, and espionage for Israel.
- Suppression of 2009 Election Protests
During the election demonstrations in 2009, Dorri-Najafabadi suppressed protests by becoming involved with the arrest, abuse, and murder of peaceful protesters.
- Kahzirak Abuses
As Prosecutor General, Dorri-Najafabadi is responsible for the abuses of prisoners held in the Kahzirak detention center. The center was known to the regime to be a site where prisoners experience violent and inhumane treatment at the hands of authorities.
- EU Sanctions
On 13 April 2011, the European Union published the names of 32 officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi, whom the E.U. asserts are “responsible for serious human rights violations” and is thus subjecting to travel bans and asset freezes. [1]
[1] EU Council statement on 13 April 2011
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