Democracy activist of Iran Opponent of the Shah who ruled Iran until the Islamic revolution of 1979 Ezzatollah Sahabi who was a liberal backed away from what he believed the increasing harsh regime that followed. A socialist and a key figure in the Freedom Movement of Iran (Nehzat-e-Azadi-ye Iran) Sahabi was arrested in 1963, serving five years in prison and then arrested again in 1971, remaining in prison until 1978. He was commissioned along with other to help draw up a constitution. Sahabi resigned from the government in disgust the day after the American embassy in Tehran was seized by students, on 5 November 1979. He believed in democracy, constitutional government and due process of law and he considered the revolutionary courts not to his expectations. In 1991, Sahabi founded the weekly newspaper Iran-e-farda (Iran of Tomorrow), which was closed down by the regime hardliners, in 2000. Felling foul of the current regime, Sahabi founded, in 2003, the Nationalist-Religious Coalition and led the party until his death. Ezzatollah Sahabi was born in Tehran and studied mechanical engineering at Tehran University.