Democracy on Trial

Mossadegh’s long confinement in Ahmadabad had a symbolic weight. Stripped of political office, cut off from public life, and forced into silence, he became the embodiment of democratic aspirations that had been locked away by authoritarian rule.

Visitors who managed to reach him described a man who, though frail and sickly, remained dignified and unbroken. His modest lifestyle—working in his garden, reading, and reflecting—contrasted sharply with the Shah’s growing opulence.

August 17, 2025 | 3:07 am