Ali Golzadeh Ghafouri

Ali Golzadeh Ghafouri was a progressive Shia cleric who was elected to the Assembly of Experts for the Constitution in 1979 as an independent from Tehran Province with over 1.5 million votes. He opposed the doctrine of velayat-e faqih and the concentration of power in the hands of a Supreme Leader. After the consolidation of clerical power, he withdrew from politics in 1981. His family suffered severe repression: two of his sons were executed in 1981, and his daughter and son-in-law were executed during the 1988 mass executions.