Ahmad Zeidabadi (Persian: احمد زیدابادی; born 21 July 1965) is an Iranian journalist, academic, writer and political analyst and the secretary general of Office for Strengthening Unity.

In June 2009, shortly after the Iranian presidential election, Zeidabadi was arrested and held in conditions which the World Association of Newspapers called "horrific.

[5][6] In addition to his journalism, Zeidabadi serves on the board of directors of the Society [LA1] of Iranian Journalists and was a member of Advar-e Tahkim Vahdat's policy committee (ATV).

He went on to become president of ATV, which is the alumni association of Daftar-e Tahkim Vahdat, the Office for Strengthening Unity, one of Iran's most prominent student organizations and a major pro-democracy force.

[9] Zeidabadi, on the other hand, was unfazed, and he went on to provide political commentary on Iran and the region to a number of reformist sources, both online and offline.

Amnesty International described the conditions of his imprisonment as follows: Ahmad Zeidabadi, a journalist for Roozonline, an online publication based in Belgium and spokesperson for the Graduates’ Association, was arrested on 21 June.

His wife was only allowed to visit him in Evin Prison for the first time on 17 August and said that he was in an extremely bad physical and emotional state.

In an interview with Radio Farda on 23 September, she said his interrogator told him: “We are ordered to crush you, and if you do not cooperate we can do anything we want with you and if you do not write the interrogation papers, we will force you to eat them.”[11] In December 2009, the Iranian Judiciary sentenced Zeidabadi to 6 years in prison, 5 years in exile in Gonabad, and lifetime ban on social and political activities in an in camera court.

[12][13] In the award citation, the World Association of Newspapers said: "All journalists are aware of the dangers of challenging the autocratic regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the actions of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.