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Mohammad Hanifnejad

Mohammad Hanifnejad (1939-25 May 1972) was one of the founders of the Marxist People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK). Hanifnejad was one of six Muslim students to create the organization, seeking to overthrow Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and create an Islamic republic; he was captured and executed in 1972.

Biography[]

Mohammad Hanifnejad was born in Tabriz, Iran in 1939, and he studied agricultural engineering before joining the National Front of Iran and the Freedom Movement of Iran parties. In February 1962, he was arrested for his opposition to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and he met Saeed Mohsen and founded the People's Mujahideen of Iran in 1965, recruiting young Muslims who believed in armed struggle against the Shahist government. Hanifnejad based the organization out of Lebanon, but he was captured by the SAVAK secret police and was executed by firing squad alongside Mohsen on 25 May 1972. Massoud Rajavi took over the group after Hanifnejad's death. After his death, leftists would transform his group from an Islamic group into a Marxist group.

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