Gholamreza Nikpey
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Gholamreza Nikpey | |
|---|---|
غلامرضا نیکپی | |
 | |
| Mayor of Tehran | |
| In office 1 October 1969 – 23 August 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Javad Shahrestani |
| Succeeded by | Javad Shahrestani |
| Senator from Esfahan | |
| In office 23 August 1977 – 11 February 1979 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1927 |
| Died | 11 April 1979 (aged 51–52) |
| Alma mater | University of Tehran Law, London School of Economics PhD of Economy |
| Occupation | Administrator, Politician |
Gholam-Reza Nikpey (غلامرضا نیکپی), also Nikpay (1927 – 11 April 1979) was deputy prime minister of Iran and Mayor of Tehran. He became Mayor of Tehran in 1969, succeeding Javad Shahrestani. Prior to that, he had served as Iran's Minister of Housing from 1966 to 1969. During his tenure as the Housing Minister, an earthquake rocked the Province of Khorasan, causing mass destruction. He was in charge of rebuilding. It turned out to be one of the best rebuilding projects in the country's history. In 1977, he was appointed to the Iranian Senate by Mohammad Reza Shah.
He was executed on 11 April 1979 on the orders of a revolutionary tribunal, apparently without legal representation or a chance to defend himself. Nikpey is one of the victims listed in the 13 March 1980 Amnesty International report. International human rights organizations have drawn attention to reports indicating that the Islamic Republic's authorities executed individuals on trumped-up charges.
Arrest and execution
Nikpey was born in 1927 in Esfahan to Azizullah Nikpey. His father, also called Ezaz ol-malek, studied in the United States and was governor of the province of Kermanshah during Reza Shah's reign. Azizullah later became Minister of Post and Telegraph. Nikpey's maternal grandfather, Zell-e Soltan, was a part of the Qajar dynasty. As a son of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Zell-e Soltan was at one point set to succeed his father as shah, however Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar became shah instead. Gholamreza spent his childhood in Isfahan and Kermanshah and entered Tehran University to study law. He went to England to continue his studies and obtained his PhD in 1335 A.H. from the London School of Economics, and then returned to Iran.
After his return, he was employed by the Iranian National Oil Company. He went on to become VP to Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansur. He was later the director of Kaakh Javanan. He became the mayor of Tehran in 1346 AH. After his tenure as mayor, he went on to become the representative of Esfahan in the Iranian senate. He was later arrested during political arrests later that year. During the Iranian revolution Nikpey was jailed in Tehran and was freed by the revolutionaries.
Nikpey was arrested shortly after the revolution. He was charged with dubious charges such as collaborating with imperialists, collaborating with the Pahlavi regime, not doing enough work as mayor and not fixing traffic problems, taking bribes, changing the comprehensive plan for the city of Tehran, and other non-specific charges and was quickly sentenced to death. He was executed on 11 April 1979.[1]
