Reza Pahlavi accepts German freedom prize for Iranian people amid controversy

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah, accepted the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Freedom Prize on behalf of the Iranian people at a ceremony in Frankfurt on Saturday.

The foundation, which is close to Germany’s liberal FDP party, said it was recognising the courage of Iranians and those working for rights and democracy. Pahlavi said he would hold the prize temporarily and one day hand it to the Iranian people in Tehran.

His selection to accept it has been contested. Critics say Pahlavi has not sufficiently distanced himself from the actions of his father, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in 1979. Political opponents were persecuted, imprisoned and tortured under the shah’s rule. Others question whether his son can represent Iran’s diverse opposition.

Frankfurt’s culture chief, Ina Hartwig of the Social Democratic Party, called the choice unfortunate and stayed away from the ceremony, Deutschlandfunk reported.

Thousands of Pahlavi’s supporters gathered in Frankfurt. Police estimated that around 20,000 people were at an afternoon rally in the city’s Ostpark, where Pahlavi later addressed supporters, according to regional broadcaster Hessenschau.

At a smaller counter-demonstration on Roßmarkt, police counted about 100 to 150 people at its start at 2pm. Hessenschau reported that smaller gatherings in the city were attended largely by supporters of Iran’s current government.