Negin Shiraghaei


Negin Shiraghaei is an Iranian activist, former news anchor for BBC Persian and the founder and director of Azadi Network, a UK-based organization focused on promoting the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran.
Since its founding, Azadi Network has aimed to document human rights violations, increase international visibility, and facilitate interviews with Iranian activists.
During the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, Shiraghaei stated that factions within Iran's government were, for the first time, discussing the need for the supreme leader to step aside.

Career

Before joining the BBC in January 2009, Shiraghaei worked as a journalist for the Iranian news outlets Hamshahri Newspaper, Shargh Newspaper, the Cultural Heritage News Agency and ISNA News Agency.
In November 2017, The Times reported that Iranian authorities had attempted to influence her reporting through the intimidation of her family in Iran. In a BBC interview, she discussed her experience, including the harassment of her family.
She co-founded, a company described as an "AI-powered women's health solution aimed at addressing physical and psychological menstrual discomfort."
After leaving BBC, Shiraghaei founded Open Growth UK, a communication and social media management company, which she closed after joining March Health.
Shiraghaei has campaigned against systematic harassment of female journalists. She is also a director of Coding for Girls Limited.

Azadi Network

Azadi Network has organized events highlighting human rights violations in Iran. Notable activities include the launch of the and engaging figures such as to raise awareness about human rights abuses in Iran. The network has trained over 80 community members inside and outside Iran on .
Shiraghaei has advocated for women's rights in Iran and internationally for over two decades. Her advocacy contributed to an increase in the representation of women in media, from 7% to 32%. She has addressed the UN Human Rights Council on two occasions, discussing methods used by the Islamic Republic to restrict free expression and the importance of addressing online harassment of female journalists. She conducts workshops for Iranian and Afghan women, providing training for media interviews.