Mohammad Mokhtari (writer)

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Mohammad Mokhtari (Persian: محمد مختاری) was an Iranian writer, poet, and left‑wing activist born on April 21, 1942, in Mashhad. He fought for freedom of expression and was an active member of the Iranian Writers Association, a group banned in Iran for opposing censorship. He is believed to have been murdered during the Chain Murders in December 1998.

Mokhtari graduated from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 1969 with a degree in Persian Language and Literature. He married Maryam Hosseinzadeh in 1972 and they had two sons. In 1973 he joined the Shahnameh literary foundation and soon served on its scientific committee. From 1979 he taught at the University of Tehran’s School of Dramatic Arts until the Cultural Revolution began. He also translated Russian poets Anna Akhmatova and Vladimir Mayakovsky.

In 1981 Mokhtari served as secretary of the Iranian Writers’ Association for a year. He was arrested in 1982 for political reasons, jailed for two years, and banned from working for the government. From 1986 he was on the editorial board of Donya-ye Sokhan and worked with other publications, helping to reopen the Writers Association. He was a central figure in the group’s activities and contributed to its projects, including a 1994 open letter by 134 writers opposing censorship.

As a poet and researcher, Mokhtari published several books of poetry and a work on mythology. On December 3, 1998, he left home for shopping and never returned. His body was found the next day in a remote area near Aminabad, identified on December 10, and authorities noted bruising around his neck, ruling the death a suffocation. His death followed the killings of other activists, and the government denied responsibility, suggesting a foreign network might be involved.