ASHRAF PAHLAVI

Date and place of birth

26 October 1919, Tehran, Iran

Date and place of death

7 January 2016 (96 years), Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Biography

The twin sister of Iran's last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was known as her brother's faithful companion. According to declassified CIA documents first made available in 2000, the princess played a decisive role in helping Britain and the United States organise a military coup in 1953, which resulted in the overthrow of the Prime Minister of Iran and the restoration of the monarchy in the country, leading to her brother's ascent to the throne. Princess Ashraf led a rather eccentric life for a Muslim woman. She and her sister were the first women in Iran to publicly abandon the burqa in 1934. For this, the French press nicknamed her "The Black Panther". She was a strong advocate for the rights of Muslim women throughout the world. As president of the High Council of the Iranian Women's Association, she helped tackle many social problems, including questions of education and culture. She was an honorary doctor of Brandeis University in the United States, a member of the UN Human Rights Commission and the UN Women's Commission. After the overthrow of Shah Mohammad in 1979, the princess left Iran and lived in Paris, New York and Monte-Carlo, published her memoirs and remained quite a prominent figure after she left Iran.