Ms. Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh

Iran

“Engendering the Movement for Democracy in Iran”
Visiting Fellow: Aug 2011 - Dec 2011

Ms. Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh is a women’s rights activist, journalist, and filmmaker from Iran. A founding member of the Stop Stoning Forever campaign, the Iranian Women’s Charter Movement, and the Meydan Zanan (Women’s Field) Network, an interactive website aimed at encouraging dialogue among diverse activist groups, she is currently a coordinator of Zanan TV (www.ZananTV.org), an online television channel that promotes gender equality in Iran. Ms. Abbasgholizadeh has served as director of the Non-Governmental Organisation Training Centre (NGOTC), an organization that trains women’s groups throughout Iran, and as editor-in-chief of Farzaneh Women’s Studies Journal.

During her Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship, she developed a strategic framework for locating common ground between Iran’s Green movement and the Iranian women’s movement. She was interviewed by numerous media outlets, including Voice of America, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Zamaneh, Rasa TV, and Radio Farda. As a Visiting Fellow, Ms. Abbasgholizadeh continues to advocate for the incorporation of gender perspectives in Iran’s democratic dialogue. She is also conducting a comparative study of how new developments in information and communication technologies apply to cross-border democracy development.

Press Mentions:

A Different Take on Occupy D.C., National Journal Daily, October 25, 2011.