Ahmad Batebi

About

Iranian American journalist, writer, human rights activist, and online advocate known internationally for appearing on the July 17th, 1999 cover of The Economist during Iran's student protests, for his years as a political prisoner, his journalism and producing work for VOA Persian, and for his commentary on Iranian politics and civil rights. He is also known for his Instagram account where he posts political commentary, journalism-related insights, and advocacy content focused on Iran and human rights for over 130,000 followers.

Before fame

He enrolled at the University of Tehran in the late 1990s. He became involved in student activism while attending university. He participated in student demonstrations during the July 1999 protests that erupted after a violent raid on student dormitories, and was photographed holding a bloodied shirt belonging to an injured protester during those demonstrations. He became internationally known after that photograph was published on the cover of The Economist on July 17th, 1999. He was arrested in 1999 following the student protests and was initially sentenced to death before serving many years in prison. He was granted medical leave from prison and escaped Iran in June 2008 before coming to the United States. He began working as a journalist, writer, and producer for Voice of America Persian (VOA Farsi) after relocating to the United States. He began sharing journalism, political analysis, and advocacy content on Instagram in 2012.

Trivia

He was recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience following his arrest in 1999. He founded the online radio and media platform Radio JIBi in March 2014.

Family life

He was born in Shiraz, Iran and grew up in Iran during a period of political change and reformist activism.

Associated with

He became known during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami. He became a well-known dissident under the rule of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.