Iraj Mesdaghi is an Iranian-Swedish writer, researcher, and human rights advocate recognized for his extensive work on Iran’s political history, prison conditions, and legal accountability. His publications and testimony provide valuable insights for scholars, journalists, legal professionals, and anyone following developments in human rights and international law related to the Middle East.He first became politically engaged as a student in the United States, where he joined an active Iranian student organization. He returned to Iran during the 1979 revolution. In 1981 he was arrested because of his political involvement and spent more than ten years in several major prisons. This direct experience with the detention system shaped his later research and writing.After his release he left Iran in 1994 and settled in Sweden. There he continued documenting prison practices, human rights violations, labor issues, and historical records of political imprisonment through independent research, books, and public discussions.He is the author of several important works, including a detailed multi-volume memoir that describes daily life, interrogations, and survival inside Iranian prisons during the 1980s, and another book that analyzes the institutional structure and methods of repression used in the detention system.Mesdaghi played a central role in events leading to the 2019 arrest in Sweden of a former Iranian prison official. That case resulted in a major trial under universal jurisdiction, focusing on crimes connected to mass executions of political prisoners in 1988. The proceedings drew international attention as one of the most significant efforts by a national court to address historical atrocities committed in Iran.He has also collaborated with legal experts and researchers, including as part of a committee led by a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. That group reviewed and analyzed thousands of judicial records from political cases spanning more than three decades, contributing to greater understanding of legal processes and accountability.Through his survivor accounts, books, interviews, and ongoing commentary, Mesdaghi remains an influential figure in discussions about contemporary Iranian political history, prison reform, and the pursuit of justice for human rights violations. His work continues to inform academic research, media reporting, policy analysis, and global audiences interested in these topics.
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