Masih Alinejad

Masoumeh Alinejad aka Masih is an Iranian journalist and writer. She is well known for her 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 Iran's economic problems.

She was a Parliamentary correspondent for ‘ Hambastegi‘ Daily and ‘Iranian Labour News Agency’ (ILNA), for four years prior to her ban from Parliament in 2005. Her ban from Parliament brought worldwide media attention as she had exposed that a significant increase in deputies’ salaries had not been made public. The Nobel Prize winning lawyer, Shirin Ebadei offered to defend her in court action.

She has published three books in Persian and she is the winner of the first annual ‘Omid Journalism Award’ from the Mehdi Semsar Foundation.