Mahnaz Samadi

Mahnaz Samadi is an Iranian dissident and human rights activist, who was previously a member in the Iranian Mujahideen-e Khalq.

In 1982, she was accused of leading a terrorist attack against the Iranian government on behalf of the MEK.

In 1993, she traveled to Canada and replaced Robab Farahi-Mahdavieh as the leader of North American operations of the MEK's civilian front.

She was arrested in Ottawa in 1999, and in 2000 faced an American immigration board after she applied for political asylum.

However, John Ashcroft, serving in his then-capacity as Senator of Missouri wrote a May 10 plea for lenience in her hearing to Attorney General Janet Reno, arguing that Samadi was a "highly regarded human-rights activist".