View source for Mehdi Bakeri

{{Short description|Iranian military commander}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [[Sardar (IRGC)|Sardar]]
|image = شهید مهدی باکری.jpg
|caption = An illustration of Bakeri's portrait
|name = Mehdi Bakeri
|birth_date =
|death_date =
|birth_name=
|birth_place =
|death_place =
|allegiance=[[Iran]]
|branch= {{plainlist|
*[[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]]
*[[Imperial Iranian Army]]
}}
|serviceyears = 1977–1979; 1980–1985
|rank =[[2nd Lieutenant]] (1977–1979)
|commands =[[31st Ashura Division]]
|battles = {{Unbulleted list|'''[[Iran–Iraq War]]'''|{{*}}[[Operation Fath ol-Mobin]]{{WIA}}|{{*}}[[Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas|Operation Beitolmoqaddas]]{{WIA}}|{{*}}[[Operation Ramadan]]{{WIA}}|{{*}}[[Operation Muslim ibn Aqil]]|{{*}}[[Operation Dawn (1983)|Operation Dawn]]|{{*}}[[Operation Dawn 2]]|{{*}}[[Operation Dawn 3]]|{{*}}[[Operation Dawn 4]]|{{*}}[[Operation Kheibar]]|{{*}}[[Operation Badr (1985)|Operation Badr]]{{MIA}}}}
|awards =[[File:Fath Medal.jpg|30px]] [[Order of Fath]] (2nd Class)
| module          =
  {{Infobox officeholder | embed = yes
   | office        = Mayor of [[Urmia]]
   | term_start    = 28 November 1979
   | term_end      = 24 September 1980
   | appointer     = [[Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani]]
   | birth_date    = {{birth date|1954|04|9|df=yes}}
   | birth_place   = [[Miandoab]], [[Iran]]
   | death_date    = {{disappeared date and age|1985|03|16|1953|04|04|df=yes}}
   | death_place   = [[Al-Qurnah]], [[Iraq]]
   | alma_mater    = [[University of Tabriz]]
   | occupation    = Engineer
 }}
}}
'''Mehdi Bakeri''' ({{lang-fa|مهدی باکری}}&lrm;; 1954 – 16 March 1985) was an Iranian war hero in the [[Iran–Iraq War]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/09/28/120568.html|title = Iran students and security clash on campus|date = 28 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://iwpr.net/report-news/harassment-iranian-opposition-leaders|title=Harassment of Iranian Opposition Leaders|work=Institute for War and Peace Reporting|accessdate=11 February 2015}}</ref> He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the [[University of Tabriz]]. During the Iranian revolution of 1979 he joined the protesters. After the beginning of the [[Iran–Iraq War]] he joined to the [[Sepah]]. He became martyr in a combat by Iraqi troops in eastern Iraq.<ref>http://old.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=236795 {{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sajed.ir/new/commandant/355-1388-10-24-08-57-14/3202.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2014-11-05 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902055420/http://www.sajed.ir/new/commandant/355-1388-10-24-08-57-14/3202.html |archivedate=2010-09-02 }}</ref>

== Early life ==
Bakeri was born in [[Miandoab]], [[West Azerbaijan Province]] in a religious [[Iranian Azerbaijani]] family. He lost his mother when he was a child. His brother actively participated in opposition groups that opposed the [[Shah]]'s regime and finally was killed by the regime. Bakeri might have entered these groups through his brother. After graduating from high school he was accepted by the [[University of Tabriz]] in Mechanical Engineering. When he entered the university, he continued his activities against the regime. Bakeri and his friends played an important role in holding protests against regime in [[Tabriz]].<ref>{{cite web|title=زندگینامه سردار بدر شهید مهدی باکری|url=http://www.rasekhoon.net/article/show-22748.aspx|website=rasekhoon.net}}</ref> According to classified documents, he was under surveillance of [[West Azerbaijan Province|West Azerbaijan]]'s [[SAVAK]].<ref name="زندگی نامه شهید باکری">{{cite web|title=زندگی نامه شهید باکری|url=http://www.tebyan.net/newindex.aspx?pid=934&articleID=745545|website=tebyan.net}}</ref>

== Career ==
After the victory of the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic Revolution]] and formation of the [[Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]], he joined this institution. Bakeri served as mayor for nine months and later as the public prosecutor of Urmia, West Azerbaijan.

His wedding party was the same day as the start of [[Iran–Iraq War]]. He left his family to join the Iranian forces in the battlefront just two days later.<ref name="زندگی نامه شهید باکری"/> He was appointed as the commander of the [[31st Ashura Division]], and showed great courage and bravery in combat against the Iraqi forces.<ref name="bakeri site">{{cite web|url=http://en.zibasazi.ir/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=880:iran%E2%80%99s-national-heroes-martyr-haj-mahdi-bakeri&Itemid=121|title=Iran's National Heroes: Martyr Haj Mahdi Bakeri - Zibasazi Tehran|work=zibasazi.ir}}</ref>

== Operations ==<!-- Please respect alphabetical order -->
Bakeri participated in several operations:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tebyan.net/newindex.aspx?pid=934&articleID=745545|title=زندگی نامه شهید باکری|date=13 September 2015|work=tebyan.net}}</ref>
* [[Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas]]
* [[Operation Dawn (1983)]]
* [[Operation Dawn 2]]
* [[Operation Dawn 3]]
* [[Operation Dawn 4]]
* [[Operation Fath ol-Mobin]]
* [[Operation Kheibar]]
* [[Operation Ramadan]]

== Death ==
In [[Operation Badr (1985)]], like most of the time, he was in the most dangerous region of the battlefront. He got martyred by Iraqi troops north of the Iraqi city of [[Al-Qurnah]]. The boat which was carrying his corpse, sunk in the river of Tigris after being hit by an Iraqi RPG. His body was never found.<ref name="زندگی نامه شهید باکری"/>

== Memorial ==
He is highly revered as one of the greatest [[Iran]]ian war heroes. [[Bakeri Expressway]], in western [[Tehran]], has been named after him.<ref name="bakeri site"/> [[Tractor Stadium]], in [[Tabriz]], has also been renamed after him as "Tractor's Shahid Bakeri Stadium".

== In popular culture ==
=== The Situation of Mehdi ===
{{Main|The Situation of Mehdi}}

''[[The Situation of Mehdi]]'' is a 2022 film about Mehdi Bakeri, directed by [[Hadi Hejazifar]] and written by Hejazifar & Ebrahim Amini. The film won the [[Crystal Simorgh for Best Film]], Best First Film, Best Original Score, Best Sound Recording and Best Special Effects at the [[40th Fajr Film Festival]]. It scored the most nominations—14—and has received 5 awards (the most wins).

==See also==
* [[Ahmad Kazemi]]
* [[Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat]]
* [[Ali Hashemi (Commander)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{YouTube|t0QAJq52owI|Mehdi Bakeri speaking in Azerbaijani language}}.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakeri, Mahdi}}
[[Category:Iranian military personnel killed in the Iran–Iraq War]]
[[Category:Iranian prosecutors]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:University of Tabriz alumni]]
[[Category:People from Miandoab]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Fath]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Iran]]
[[Category:People from Urmia]]
[[Category:Imperial Iranian Army conscripted personnel]]