Akbar Ganji
An Iranian journalist who turned from revolutionary guard to the nation's most fearless voice, exposing state-sponsored murders from inside a prison cell.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Iranian journalist·Birthday: January 31·Baby Boomers
Biography
Akbar Ganji's life is a story of radical transformation. As a young man, he was a true believer, joining the Revolutionary Guard Corps to defend the nascent Islamic Republic. The disillusionment came slowly, then all at once. By the mid-1990s, the journalist had become a sharp critic, using his pen to dissect the power structures he once upheld. His defining act was a dogged investigation into the 'Chain Murders'—a series of killings of intellectuals that he traced to the highest levels of the Iranian state. For this, he was thrown into Tehran's notorious Evin Prison for six years. But the bars couldn't silence him; from his cell, he authored manifestos calling for a secular democracy, becoming a symbol of intellectual resistance. Released in 2006, his gaunt, fasting figure embodied a quiet, unyielding defiance that continues to challenge the regime's narrative from within and abroad.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Akbar was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Akbar Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Akbar's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Exposed the state's involvement in the 'Chain Murders of Iran' through a groundbreaking series of investigative articles.
- Authored the 'Republican Manifesto' from Evin Prison, outlining a vision for a secular, democratic Iran.
- Endured a six-year prison sentence, including a prolonged hunger strike, for his writings and political activism.
- Received numerous international awards for his courage in journalism, including the John Aubuchon Press Freedom Award.
Did You Know?
He was a bodyguard for Iran's first president, Abolhassan Banisadr, during his time with the Revolutionary Guard.
Ganji undertook a 73-day hunger strike in prison to protest his conditions and the lack of medical care.
He turned down an offer for early release from prison because it required him to express remorse for his writings.
His wife, Massoumeh Shafiei, is also a journalist and was a prominent public advocate for his release.
“The struggle between freedom and despotism is a historical one, and in the end, freedom will be victorious.”
