Yalda Moaiery

Yalda Moaiery is an Iranian woman human rights defender and photojournalist who has covered armed conflicts and humanitarian crises over the past two decades in Iran, its neighbouring countries, and beyond. She has documented the enforcement of the mandatory hijab in Iran, women working as security police, and the establishment of the morality police. In December 2017, she captured an image of a student protesting economic conditions at the University of Tehran, which became an iconic symbol of Iranian protests, gaining international attention.

Subsequently, Moaiery was sentenced to two years in Qarchak prison. After her release, she embarked on a project to document the stories of women prisoners. Yalda Moaiery’s work has been widely published in international outlets, she was awarded the 2023 Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award.