Who Is Darya Safai? Iranian-Belgian Diplomat Cuts Hair In Parliament

Belgium's foreign minister and two other lawmakers cut their hair in parliament, showcasing their solidarity with anti-government demonstrations in Iran triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Following the example of Safai, Belgian diplomats Hadja Lahbib and Goedele Liekens too snipped off a lock of their hair during the session. Iranian-born Safai had taken scissors to hers – to applause from other lawmakers – after asking the Minister about Belgium's response to a crackdown on widespread protests inside Iran. Watch the video here.

Who Is Darya Safai?

Born in Tehran in 1975, Safai grew up in Iran, studied dentistry at Tehran University, and actively participated in the student protests against the Islamic regime in 1999, when she was arrested and held for 24 days in solitary confinement. Released on bail, she fled the country via Turkey and settled in Belgium with her husband, a leader of the student protest movement.

An outspoken advocate of women’s rights, Safai founded the group 'Let Iranian Women Enter Their Stadiums' to strive for the right of Iranian women to attend sporting events in stadiums. She made headlines at the 2016 Rio Olympics when she refused to put away a banner she unfurled during an Iranian men’s volleyball game. The banner denounced Iranian legislation that bans women from attending all-male sports events in stadiums.

Safai also became the first Iranian-born politician to enter the Belgian parliament in 2019 after she was elected to the Chamber of Representatives in Brussels, representing the centre-right Flemish nationalist party, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie or N-VA (New Flemish Alliance.) In December 2016, she was awarded the title 'Women Of Peace' by the Belgian Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities at the Belgian Senate, for her fight for women's rights.

In 2015, she authored the book Running against the Wind detailing her life story and her fight against discrimination of Iranian women. In September 2018 her book Suddenly I wasn't allowed to laugh anymore was published.

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