Mohammad-Javad Larijani

Mohammad-Javad Larijani محمد جواد لاریجانی
Member of Parliament of Iran
In office 2000–2008
Personal details
Born	1951 , Amol Najaf , Iraq
Political party	Independent
Residence	Tehran, Iran
Religion	Twelver Shi'a Islam

Mohammad Javad Ardashir Larijani (Persian: محمد جواد اردشیر لاریجانی) is an Iranian politician, cleric and academic. Larijani is the head of the human rights council in the judiciary and a top adviser to the supreme leader. Additionally Larijani has been the Director of Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics in Tehran. Previously, he has been a Majlis representative and the director of Majlis Research Center, and a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

While not wearing the Islamic clerics uniform anymore, Larijani, raised in a religious family, graduated from a hawza before starting his higher education at Electrical Engineering in Sharif University of Technology, wearing the uniform for the full four years. He later continued his studies outside Iran, Ph.D. program in mathematics at University of California, Berkeley. However he did not finish his studies and did not write a dissertation as he returned to Iran because of the 1979 revolution.

Mohammad Javad Larijani is the son of Ayatollah Hashem Amoli and a brother of Ali Larijani, the current Chairman of the Parliament and Sadegh Larijani, the current Chief Justice. Larijani is a cousin of Ahmad Tavakkoli, who is the current director of Majlis Research Center.

In a 2010 NBC News interview, Larijani defended the arrest of Nasrin Sotoudeh, an Iranian feminist activist, and a prominent human rights lawyer. Sotoudeh was detained in September and faces trial for "collusion against national security" and "spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic.".^[1]

Larijani told NBC News that Iranian authorities believed that she was engaged "in a very nasty campaign" against Iran's national security. Nasrin Sotoudeh works for Shirin Ebadi's law firm. Shirin Ebadi is the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

In May 2011 Larijani threatened to allow free passage of drug smugglers through Iran.^[2]

In November 2011 Larijani claimed that nuclear weapons violate Islam.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Death penalty unlikely for rights lawyer". NBC News. 19 November 2010. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40276864/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa. Retrieved 23 October 2010. 
2. ^ "Now Iran threatens to allow transit of Afghan drugs to Europe unless we stop criticizing them." Daily Mail, 14 May 2011.
3. ^ Iranian official: Islam is against nukes, a 11/17/2011 article from The Washington Examiner

External links

• Larijani's information page on Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics website^{[dead link]}
• Mohammad-Javad Larijani on Charlie Rose

Persondata
Name	Larijani, Mohammad Javad
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	Najaf , Iraq
Date of death
Place of death