Hasan Tavanayan Fard

Professor Hasan Tavanayan Fard (born March 25, 1943) was an Iranian economist, political activist, author and poet. He died on January 21, 2015 in Tehran. From 1967, he began teaching economics and social science in Sahab High School in Area 11 of Tehran and because he referred to the destructive outcome of the White Revolution by Shah (the Iranian King) in his classes, he was prohibited from teaching any further by Saavaak (the King’s intelligence service) and was exiled to Bandar Abas. However, the late Hojat ol Eslam Reza Borgheyi who was the adviser of the Education Minister, defended him and the court revoked the decision for his exile. Nevertheless, the court sacked him from his teaching position and banned him from teaching.

HIS DEATH

The professor died at the age of 71 in Tehran of a heart attack.

A BRIEF SUMMARY

In 1975, he commenced teaching economics in universities in Iran. In 1979, he was employed at the University of Sanate Sharif. However, after two years of teaching there, Dr Salehi (the President of the University of Sanate Sharif who was the Foreign Minister during Ahmadinejad’s second term) did not tolerate him and on the pretex that Professor Tavanayan Fard was a political prisoner at Evin prison, in 1984 he prevented the professor from teaching and callously stopped his monthly salary which in effect cut off financial maintenance for the professor's wife and children. He then invited the professor to teach at the Economics department of Tehran University. He taught money and banking and talked about how the current banking system in Iran is usurious and against Islamic principles. This led to the representative of Valieh Faghih at the Tehran University to summon him and get a written pledge that he would not talk about his opinions in class anymore. But Professor Tavanayan Fard refused to make this promise and as a result was banned from teaching.

Pressure from unemployment and lack of income had a harmful effect on his family. Professor Tavanayan Fard finally found a position to teach a few hours a week at Daneshkadeye Oloome Taghzieh (College of Nutrition) near Chamraan. After a few days, four people from the Intelligence Service (Vezarate Etelat) and Evin prison went to his class and stopped him from teaching and his classes were all cancelled from then.

Following the pressure by outside forces on the President of the University Dr Salhi told him in a conversation, "if you agree to go to Payame Noor University, we will reimburse your one year unpaid salary." Subsequent to his forced removal to Payame Noor University, they never paid him his unpaid salary of one year. This treatment continued and on many occasions they didn’t pay his salary and when Ahmadinejad came to power, they wanted to force Professor Tavanayan Fard to retire. When he refused to do so, they completely deleted him from the University’s financial records and didn’t pay him his wages.

Some of his books include: