Dorothy Parvaz
Encyclopedia
Homa Dorothy Parvaz is an Al Jazeera
journalist who entered Syria
at Damascus
on Friday, April 29, 2011, to cover the Syrian protests
and was not heard from for the next nineteen days. After it was reported that she was missing, campaigns were formed on Twitter
and Facebook
to press the Syrian government to free her. Syria revealed that Parvaz had been deported to Iran. On May 18, 2011, Dorothy was released by Iranian authorities.
Born in Iran
, she holds passports from Iran, Canada, and the United States.
She joined Al Jazeera
in 2010.
until she was ten years old, then spent the next four years in Dubai
. Parvaz moved to Canada
with her family in 1985, ultimately graduating from a Canadian high school.
. She subsequently obtained a master's degree in journalism
from the University of Arizona
.
She has been the recipient of journalism fellowships at Harvard
and Cambridge.
, Parvaz worked for the English language edition of the Asahi Shimbun
in Japan
.
Following her sojourn in Japan
, Parvaz obtained her master's degree in journalism from the University of Arizona
. She moved to Seattle in 1999, where she worked first for The Seattle Times
, then as a columnist, feature writer, and ultimately editorial board member for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
. After the latter ceased to exist as a print newspaper, and following her journalism fellowships, she accepted employment with Al Jazeera
, for whom she reported on the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami .
She is based in Doha, Qatar.
on Friday, April 29, 2011, via Qatar Airways
to cover recent protests there for Al Jazeera
. She was not heard from after landing at the airport, and it was suspected that she had been detained at the airport. Her family feared for her safety. Syria
's efforts to limit foreign media coverage of recent events had previously led to the detention of numerous journalists.
On May 2, 2011, Parvaz's family released the following statement:
Voices calling for her release included her immediate family, her fiancé (Luxembourg-based attorney Todd Barker), Cambridge University, Al Jazeera
, and the Iranian government. With friends around the world, Parvaz's story was widely reported, with press freedom advocacy groups also taking up her cause. Other voices calling for her release included Amnesty International, the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, Al Karama for Human Rights, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the U.S. State Department.
It was reported on May 5, 2011, that Parvaz was being held by the Syrian government, which Syria confirmed. Her family and friends called for her release. Facebook
and Twitter
campaigns were also underway.
It was further reported on May 7, 2011, that U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford met with a senior Syrian official in an attempt to obtain more information about Parvaz. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also asked for information about Parvaz.
The family released the following additional statement:
Syrian newspaper Al Watan
reported that the Syrian government claimed Parvaz left Syria on May 1, 2011, after being denied entry to the country because she held a tourist visa instead of a journalist visa. This claim was unconfirmed, most notably by Parvaz herself.
As of May 11, 2011, unsubstantiated reports had emerged indicating that the Syrian government handed Parvaz over to Iranian authorities and that she might be held in Tehran.
On May 18, 2011, after disappearing on assignment in Syria for 19 days, Dorothy was released and sent back to Doha by Iranian authorities. By the end of the day, she had released an article detailing her experiences. Syria claimed she had entered Syria illegally with multiple passports, including an expired Iranian one. However, her passport was extended and stamped upon entry by Syrian immigration.
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
journalist who entered Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
at Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
on Friday, April 29, 2011, to cover the Syrian protests
2011 Syrian uprising
The 2011 Syrian uprising is an ongoing internal conflict occurring in Syria. Protests started on 26 January 2011, and escalated into an uprising by 15 March 2011...
and was not heard from for the next nineteen days. After it was reported that she was missing, campaigns were formed on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
to press the Syrian government to free her. Syria revealed that Parvaz had been deported to Iran. On May 18, 2011, Dorothy was released by Iranian authorities.
Born in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, she holds passports from Iran, Canada, and the United States.
She joined Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
in 2010.
Early life
Homa Dorothy Parvaz was born in October 1971 in Tehran, Iran to an Iranian father and an American mother. She lived in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
until she was ten years old, then spent the next four years in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. Parvaz moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with her family in 1985, ultimately graduating from a Canadian high school.
Education
Parvaz obtained her undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. She subsequently obtained a master's degree in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
She has been the recipient of journalism fellowships at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Cambridge.
Career
After obtaining her degree from the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, Parvaz worked for the English language edition of the Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Following her sojourn in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Parvaz obtained her master's degree in journalism from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. She moved to Seattle in 1999, where she worked first for The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, then as a columnist, feature writer, and ultimately editorial board member for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
. After the latter ceased to exist as a print newspaper, and following her journalism fellowships, she accepted employment with Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, for whom she reported on the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami .
She is based in Doha, Qatar.
Disappearance
Parvaz arrived in SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
on Friday, April 29, 2011, via Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...
to cover recent protests there for Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
. She was not heard from after landing at the airport, and it was suspected that she had been detained at the airport. Her family feared for her safety. Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
's efforts to limit foreign media coverage of recent events had previously led to the detention of numerous journalists.
On May 2, 2011, Parvaz's family released the following statement:
Voices calling for her release included her immediate family, her fiancé (Luxembourg-based attorney Todd Barker), Cambridge University, Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, and the Iranian government. With friends around the world, Parvaz's story was widely reported, with press freedom advocacy groups also taking up her cause. Other voices calling for her release included Amnesty International, the Doha Centre for Media Freedom, Al Karama for Human Rights, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and the U.S. State Department.
It was reported on May 5, 2011, that Parvaz was being held by the Syrian government, which Syria confirmed. Her family and friends called for her release. Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
campaigns were also underway.
It was further reported on May 7, 2011, that U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford met with a senior Syrian official in an attempt to obtain more information about Parvaz. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also asked for information about Parvaz.
The family released the following additional statement:
Syrian newspaper Al Watan
Al-Watan (Syria)
Al-Watan is a Syrian Arabic language daily newspaper published by the Syrian Arab Publishing and Distributing Company. It is the country's first private daily newspaper since the 1960s , but its editorial line and reporting is practically identical to that of the publicly owned papers....
reported that the Syrian government claimed Parvaz left Syria on May 1, 2011, after being denied entry to the country because she held a tourist visa instead of a journalist visa. This claim was unconfirmed, most notably by Parvaz herself.
As of May 11, 2011, unsubstantiated reports had emerged indicating that the Syrian government handed Parvaz over to Iranian authorities and that she might be held in Tehran.
On May 18, 2011, after disappearing on assignment in Syria for 19 days, Dorothy was released and sent back to Doha by Iranian authorities. By the end of the day, she had released an article detailing her experiences. Syria claimed she had entered Syria illegally with multiple passports, including an expired Iranian one. However, her passport was extended and stamped upon entry by Syrian immigration.