Hojatoleslam Seyyed Ali Akbar Aboutorabi Fard (; 1939 – June 2, 2000) was an Iranian revolutionary. During the Iran–Iraq War, he assisted in the organization of an Iranian militia but was captured by Iraqi forces and spent 10 years in Iraqi prisons. Upon his release, he became the Supreme Leader's representative to Azadegan Affairs Headquarters and Tehran's representative in the 4th and 5th terms of the Islamic Consultative Assembly.
Early life and education
Hojatoleslam Seyyed Ali Akbar Aboutorabi Fard was born in 1939 in Qazvin. During his childhood, he saw all Reza Shah’s violence against religion and seminaries and clerics of Islam. He also saw women of family stay at home in Kashfe hijab time and found his ancestors in fight path against Pahlavi’s irreligion plans.
He was a champion at a swimming was the champion in swimming event Amjadiyeh in Tehran and was the top player in football and volleyball in high school. In 1957 after finishing high school his travel to insisted that he would go to Germany and continue his education there. He thought continued studying in seminaries would leave him poor and needy. But after a little hesitation in Qom, in 1958 he went to Mashhad to learn regional science hence he could to escape his uncle's insistence. However he made a covenant with himself to never get financial assistance, even from his father. In Mashhad, he was living in paltry room in Navvab School and was engaged in teaching and learning.
With beginning of Imam Khomeini’s movement, he found Qom as the center of struggle so he returned there in 1963. He resided in the Hojjatie School to be engaged in Khomeini's companions activities.
Marriage
In 1967, Aboutorabi came back to Iran and married at the age of 28. He then moved to Najaf with his wife.
Before the Islamic Revolution
Devotees of Islam
He attended the ceremony for the Devotees of Islam and was a spectator at their gatherings when he was a teenager.
Uprising of 15 Khordad
Abutorabi also was beaten when police rushed to the Feyziyeh School in the June 5, 1963 (15 Khordad) demonstrations in Iran.
Migration to Najaf
Following the suppression of 1963 uprising and Imam Khomeini's exile to Najaf, he moved to Najaf and attended classes of Imam Khomeini and other clerics. To travel to Najaf, he went to Basra secretly through Khorramshahr's port and then traveled to Najaf.
Arrest
In 1970, Aboutorabi and his wife and children returned to Iran on the pretext of meeting the family, with Imam Khomeini's statement about Ayatollah Saeedi, who was killed in SAVAK's prison, embedded in his suitcase. Pahlavi regime's security forces, who were awaiting Imam Khomeini's reaction about Ayatollah Saeedi's death, strongly controlled the Khosravi border crossing. They therefore arrested Aboutorabi when he was crossing the border, and took him to SAVAK station in Kermanshah when they found the statements. He was moved to Tehran one day later.
The cunning of Aboutorabi in dealing with SAVAK interrogators and normal response to questions, led to be not very long his prison term, though SAVAK officials were not convinced. Six months later, after much torture and harassment, Aboutorabi was released from prison.
After release
He tried to go to Najaf after his release, but he did not succeed. So he continued his political struggle in Iran and organized an armed struggle along with Seyyed Ali Andarzgo. They were repeatedly prosecuted by SAVAK, but they maintained a high level of secrecy to the extent that very little of these activities has been recorded. Aboutorabi's control operation was codenamed “Saghar” meaning goblet. With the spread of Islamic Revolution, SAVAK had no opportunity to arrest him.
During Islamic Revolution, he was commander of group of people who seized Sa'dabad Palace and protected the facility in the palace until delivered to competent authorities.
He in collaboration with his brother, Hojatoleslam Sayyed Mohammad Aboutorabi, played important role in seizing of Qazvin Army garrison and prevented from leaving weapons and war equipment. He had a close relationship with Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Mohammad Beheshti, and Ali Khamenei, and participated the welcoming committee on the arrival of Imam Khomeini in Iran.
After Iranian Revolution
He formed and directed the Islamic Revolution Committee in Qazvin, his ancestral city, for organizing and to avoid anarchy. After a while following a popular vote he became a member of the City council and afterward undertook the presidency.