Homa Sarshar

Homa Sarshar is an Iranian-American author, activist, media personality, and award-winning journalist. She was a columnist for Zan-e-Ruz magazine and the Kayhan daily newspaper between 1964 and 1978.

Early life

Sarshar was born in Shiraz in 1946 to a Jewish family and raised in Tehran. She moved to the United States and settled in Los Angeles one year before the Iranian Revolution in 1978. She studied French literature at Tehran University, earning a bachelor's degree in the subject. She later obtained a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. In 1993, Sarshar joined Human [Rights Watch] as an adviser.

Awards and honors

Sarshar received the Ellis [Island Medal of Honor] in 2013. In Iran, the Iranian Women's Organization of Tehran presented Sarshar with a Medal for Special Achievement in Women's Rights.