Ayatollah Abolghassem Khazali, a senior Iranian cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts, passed away in Tehran on Tuesday September 16 at the age of 90.
Ayatollah Khazali was one of the founders of the Islamic Republic constitution and served on the Guardian Council, the constitutional watchdog, for 20 years.
Ayatollah Khazali was a supporter of the conservative factions of the Islamic Republic.
Two years ago he said in a televised interview that the founder of the Islamic Republic had told him that the constitution must not allow for a woman to become a presidential candidate.
Khazali supported Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the controversial 2009 presidential election, and in the last presidential election he endorsed conservative candidate Saeed Jalili.
Ayatollah Khazali’s son, Mehdi Khazali, is seen as a reformist and he was arrested on several occasions after the 2009 election protests. The conservative cleric had disowned his son for his political leanings.
