Den Haag, 24 april 2012

Voortouwcommissie vaste commissie voor Buitenlandse Zaken
Activiteit:
Datum:
Tijd:
Openbaar/besloten

bijzondere procedure
donderdag 31 mei 2012
10.00 - 11.00 uur
besloten

Onderwerp:

ontvangst heer Pahlavi inzake de huidige politieke situatie van Iran

Agendapunt:

Het lid Kortenoeven ontvangt in het kader van de bijzondere procedure de
heer Reza Pahlavi inzake de huidige politieke situatie van Iran.
(zie bijgevoegde informatie)
Het lid Kortenoeven nodigt u van harte uit hierbij aanwezig te zijn.

Zaak:

Brief derden - D. Madjlessi te Middelburg - 12 april 2012
Verzoek, namens dhr R. Pahlavi, om gesprek met vaste commissie voor
Buitenlandse Zaken
- 2012Z07861

Griffier:

T.J.E. van Toor

Activiteitnummer:

2012A01747

Biography

Reza Pahlavi in 1973 as Crown Prince of Iran
Reza Pahlavi was born in Tehran, Iran, as eldest son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last
Shah of Iran, and Empress Farah Pahlavi. Reza Pahlavi's siblings include his sister Princess
Farahnaz Pahlavi (12 March 1963), brother Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi (28 April 1966 – 4
January 2011), and sister Princess Leila Pahlavi (27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001), as well as a
half-sister, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi (27 October 1961).
He left Iran at the age of 17 for air force training. He spent a year at Williams College, but
was forced to leave because of the turmoil in Iran. With the monarchy overthrown and an
Islamic Republic established, Reza Pahlavi did not return to Iran. He received a BSc degree
by correspondence in political science from the University of Southern California, because
Williams did not offer that option.[1] A jet fighter pilot, Reza Pahlavi completed the United
States Air Force Training Program at the former Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, Texas. In
1980, at the start of the Iran–Iraq War, Pahlavi, a highly-trained fighter pilot, wrote to General
Valiollah Fallahi, Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic, offering to
fight in the air force for Iran in the war. The offer was rebuffed.[2]
With the death of his father on 27 July 1980, Reza Pahlavi became the Head of the House of
Pahlavi.
Reza Pahlavi has written three books on the state of Iran.
According to Iranian writer Reza Bayegan, Prince Reza Pahlavi is deeply attached to his
Shi'ite Muslim faith. He has named one of his daughters Iman (meaning faith in Arabic), and
has performed the Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca.[3]

Family
Reza married Yasmine Etemad Amini on June 12, 1986. Yasmine, a graduate of the George
Washington University School of Law, worked for ten years as a lawyer for the Children’s
Law Center as a legal advocate for at-risk youth. Yasmine also founded the Foundation for

the Children of Iran in 1991, a non-profit foundation that provides health care services to
Iranian children or children of Iranian origin.
Reza Pahlavi and his wife Yasmine have three daughters: Noor (born April 3, 1992), Iman
(born September 12, 1993), and Farah (born January 17, 2004).
In 2004, Reza Pahlavi was named as the "unofficial godfather"[4] of Princess Louise of
Belgium the eighth granddaughter of King Albert II of Belgium. The decision to choose him
was criticized by the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

•

Reza Pahlavi sworn in as Head of Pahlavi Dynasty in 1980.
Reza Pahlavi has used his high profile status as an Iranian abroad to campaign politically for
human rights, democracy, and unity among Iranians in Iran and outside it.[5] On his website he
calls for a separation of religion and state in Iran and for free and fair elections "for all
freedom-loving individuals and political ideologies". He exhorts all groups dedicated to a
democratic agenda to work together for a democratic and secular Iranian government.[6]
According to Reza Bayegan, Prince Pahlavi believes in the separation of religion from
politics. However, Pahlavi avoids the "Islam bashing" that Bayegan writes occurs in some
circles of the Iranian opposition. Rather, he believes that religion has a humanizing and
ethical role in shaping individual character and infusing society with greater purpose.[3]
Pahlavi wrote in his book, Winds of Change:[7]

“

Since the advent of Islam, our clergymen have served as a moral compass.
Spirituality has been an inseparable part of our culture...Today, moral guidance
has been replaced by clerical censorship and dictatorial fiat.

”

Pahlavi has used media appearances to urge Iran's theocratic government to accept a
referendum that uses independently verifiable international standards and observation
mechanisms.[8][9][10] He has also urged Iranians to engage in a campaign of non-violent civil
disobedience, starting with non-participation in elections of the Islamic republic (elections he
views as undemocratic), followed by peaceful demonstrations and strikes. He is, however, an
outspoken opponent of any foreign military intervention for regime change in Iran,[11]
believing that the people of Iran alone have the power to bring about change in their
governmental system and society.

Human rights
On March 27, 2010, Reza Pahlavi was invited by the International Society of Human Rights
in Bonn, Germany, to speak on the challenge of implementing democracy and human rights in
Iran; a sample excerpt from this speech follows:[12]

“

...democracy and human rights for Iran is not just a slogan; it is our unique hope for
salvation and the fundamental element which will bring long term political stability as
well as put our nation back on the track of modernity, progress and prosperity. Iranians
have come a long way, particularly in this last century. We have paid a heavy price
while learning valuable lessons. As such, we are stronger as a society and perhaps
clearer in our collective vision of a better future.