Dr. Mahdi Khazali is one of Iran's most vocal political dissidents. He is an ophthalmologist, political activist and the director of the Hayyan Cultural Institute and Publications. His father, Ayatollah Abolghasem Khazali, was one of the codifiers of the Islamic Republic’s constitution and is a member of the Assembly of Experts. Ayatollah Khazali was such a strong supporter of the conservative president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that he claimed that Ahmadinejad was approved by Imam Mahdi, the 12th Shiite Imam, himself.
Mehdi Khazali, on the other hand, was one of Ahmadinejad's strongest critics. Over the past few years, he has been repeatedly arrested for insulting the officials of the Islamic Republic. He has gone on hunger strikes numerous times to protest the judiciary's handling of his case.
Last week, in an open letter to the president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, he wrote, “If you cannot even take charge of the activities of the book fair, then resign.” Khazali’s criticism came after his Hayyan Publications was banned by intelligence organizations from participating in the Tehran Book Fair.
He spoke to Al-Monitor on the phone regarding the Rouhani administration, why he believes his books are still censored — despite only being medical books — and the state of the Health Ministry, which he sees improving.
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