Detained North Vancouver journalist deported to Iran: Al Jazeera received, network, calling, country, cover

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Detained North Vancouver journalist deported to Iran: Al Jazeera



Missing Al Jazeera journalist Dorothy Parvaz, who is from North Vancouver, has been moved to Iran, TV network Al Jazeera said Wednesday.

Parvaz, 39, has been held by Syrian authorities since arriving in the country to cover the anti-government protests on April 29.

"We have now received information that she is being held in Tehran," an Al Jazeera spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We are calling for information from the Iranian authorities, access to Dorothy, and for her immediate release. We have had no contact with Dorothy since she left Doha on April 29 and we are deeply concerned for her welfare."

Syrian authorities confirmed earlier that they held Parvaz after her arrival on April 29, on assignment for the Al Jazeera television network. Parvaz got off her plane, but never made it to her hotel, and she has not been heard from since.

Al Jazeera reported that the Syrian embassy in Washington DC said Parvaz was extradited to Iran because she tried to enter Syria illegally on an expired Iranian visa. Parvaz has Canadian, American and Iranian passports. The embassy's statement said Parvaz was taken to Tehran on May 1, but Iran's foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, told Al Jazeera on May 2 that he did not know where Parvaz was.

Parvaz's family also called for her release.

"Dorothy is a dearly loved daughter, sister and fiance, and a committed journalist," they said in a statement to Al Jazeera. "It is now nearly two weeks since she was detained. We appeal once again for Dorothy to be released immediately and returned to us."

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Parvaz moved to Canada when she was 12, and attended Handsworth secondary in North Vancouver before she went to UBC. Parvaz joined Al Jazeera in 2010, after working as a columnist and feature writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

A Facebook page called Free Dorothy Parvaz had more than 11,000 "likes" as of Wednesday morning. People who know Parvaz shared stories about her on the site.

"When I think of Dorothy, like many of you have mentioned, I think of her quick wit, and the balance between her ability to slice you in two with a critical eye(like when you try to include her in a picture!) and her propensity to make one feel cared for, listened to, and important. She is truly beautiful, wrote Megan Murphy MacKenzie.

"In 1994, Dorothy sent a care package to West Africa when I was feeling really run down and home sick. It was the best batch of homemade cookies, copy of the Georgia Straight, and letter that I think I've ever got. While I'm waiting to return the favour, I'll have to make do with calling government officials on a daily basis. We miss you D!, Celine Hayden wrote.

Thousands of Twitter followers are using the hashtag #FreeDorothy.

Al Jazeera continues to dedicate a portion of their home page to her cause.

Earlier this week, the University of British Columbia, where she earned her undergraduate degree, called for her release.

"When one journalist is attacked, we're all attacked," said professor Peter W. Klein, who heads the School of Journalism's International Reporting Program. "All journalists feel the pain, but so do all citizens of the world. Reporters like Dorothy Parvaz serve as critical eyes and ears in these hot spots."