About Masih
Masih Alinejad is well known for her courageous criticism of Iranian authorities. She was a parliamentary reporter for ILNA and a journalist at Hambastegi Daily and Etemad Melli Daily. Several of her articles were followed by harsh criticism from conservative parties in Iran. In 2008, former Iranian head of parliament apologized after an article by Alinejad was published in Etemad Melli Daily on economic problems in Iran.
Masih was a Parliamentary correspondent for ‘ Hambastegi‘ Daily and ‘Iranian Labour News Agency’ (ILNA) for four years, prior to her expulsion from Parliament in 2005. Expulsion from Parliament caused worldwide media attention because she had exposed that a significant increase in deputies’ salaries had not been made public then the Nobel Prize winning lawyer, Shirin Ebadei offered to represent her at the court.
She Published three books:
- Tahasson, which describes the political turmoil/challenges created when the ‘Sixth Iranian Parliament’ went on strike;
- Taje-e-Khar, (The crown of thorn) a Novel and that is now being translated into English; and,
- I am Free, which deals with Women issues in Iran published in Germany because of the banning by the Islamic Culture and Guidance Ministry in Iran.
Masih Alinejad is the winner of the first annual ‘Omid Journalism Award’ from the Mehdi Semsar Foundation which is an Iranian – French Organization. She was arrested as an activist for producing leaflets critical of the Iranian Government in 1994.
