Sayyed Ja'far Pishevari (1893 - 1947) (Persian: سید جعفر پیشه‌وری) was the founder and chairman of separatist and communist Azerbaijan People's Government (November 1945 – November 1946), created and supported by Soviet occupational forces in north-western Iran.

Life He was born in Khalkhal in Ardabil province, Iran. He had lived in the Caucasus in early 20th century and was introduced to Marxism during this period. He was a member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Iran (not to be confused with the Tudeh Party), established in 1920, in Rasht. He became a journalist and communist activist in the 1920s. He was arrested and imprisoned for some time in late 1930s and early 1940s by the government of Reza Shah Pahlavi for his communist ideas and activities. He was released from prison after Reza Shah was deposed by the Allies in 1941. He went to Tabriz and established the Azerbaijani Democratic Party with manifest material and organizational support from the USSR. He was the ADP candidate for the Majlis but was denied entry by the electoral supervisory body due to suspect campaigning practices and suspicion of vote rigging.