In July 1940, during the reign of Reza Shah, 13 year old Khadijeh was riding bicycles with her nephew* in front of her house, when suddenly, security forces appeared. In full view, they ransacked the home and, bound by rope, dragged her father to jail, where he was later transferred to the infamous prison in Birjand.

The youngest child of Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh, Khadijeh was distraught after witnessing this cruel treatment of her father, to whom she had tremendous attachment. This trauma, and her fear of losing her father caused Khadijeh, already a very sensitive child, to enter a trance-like state of despair.

After various unsuccessful treatments, her older brother, Dr. Gholam Hossein Mossadegh, recommended lobotomy — a radical form of brain surgery. After the procedure, she became quiet and spoke very little. Constantly restless, she experienced memory loss so severe that she could recall little from after her surgery. Though considered an acceptable procedure in those days, the decision to operate was later criticized by some family members. In 1942, she was sent to Switzerland where she stayed in various psychiatric hospitals.

Mossadegh considered his daughter's fate the cruelest punishment that could have ever been inflicted on him.

Khadijeh remained hospitalized until her death in 2003.


* Mossadegh's grandson, Abdol-Majid Bayat (eldest son of Zia-Ashraf), also a schoolmate of Khadijeh's