Parvin Ardalan is an Iranian journalist and blogger who has repeatedly been persecuted because of her courageous defence of women’s rights, above all as editor of the Change for Equality (www.we-change.org) website.

She was arrested in June 2006 for participating in a peaceful demonstration against laws that discriminate against women. She was prevented from flying to Stockholm to receive the Olof Palme human rights prize in March 2008, and was given a two-year suspended jail sentence two months later.

To draw attention to the work of Iran’s women bloggers, Reporters Without Borders awarded her its Netizen Prize in March 2009. She declared : “This prize is not just for a website, it is being awarded to all those who fight for freedom of expression in Iran. Some are in prison. I dedicate this prize to them.”.

Parvin Ardalan is still defending women’s rights in Iran.

Photo credit : Leif R. Jansson