Khalkhali biography

Iranian cleric and politician (1926-2003)

Mohammed Sadeq Givi Khalkhali (Persian: محمدصادق گیوی خلخالی; 27 July 1926 – 26 November 2003)^[3] was an Iranian Shia cleric who is said to have "brought to his job as Chief Justice of the revolutionary courts a relish for summary execution" that earned him a reputation as Iran's "hanging judge".^[4][5][6] A farmer's son from Iranian Azeri origins was born in Givi, Azerbaijani SSR, in the Soviet Union (now in Azerbaijan).^[7] He is also reported to have born in Kivi, in the Khalkhal County, Iran (ergo his name).^[8] Khalkhali has been described as "a small, rotund man with a pointed beard, kindly smile, and a high-pitched giggle" by The Daily Telegraph.^[4]

Career and activities

Khalkhali was one of Khomeini's circle of disciples as far back as 1955^[9] and reconstructed the former secret society of Islamic assassins known as the Fadayan-e