The daughter of Iranian dissident Ezzatollah Sahabi was killed during her father’s funeral in Tehran today. Haleh Sahabi, who was in prison serving a two-year sentence for her role in the 2009 post-election protests, was released to attend services. Opposition websites reported that, while the cause of death given by authorities was a heart attack, Sahabi died in a skirmish with security forces. The elder Sahabi had a long history of opposing authoritarian rule, first against the Shah and later as an opponent of dictatorial leanings of the Islamic Republic, particularly the principle of ‘rule of the jurisprudent’ that places a cleric atop Iran’s government as Supreme Leader.
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