Minoo Jalali

Minoo Jalali was a member of the Iranian Bar Association and practising lawyer. She was also an executive member of the largest Iranian women organisation formed in the aftermath of the Revolution in 1979. She campaigned against the violation of human, and specially, women’s rights. As a result, she was unlawfully barred from practice and had to leave Iran in 1983.

In Britain she first worked with the Citizen Rights Office in Edinburgh. She together with other women activists helped to set up the first Asian women refuge in Edinburgh.

In 1987, she joined Avon and Bristol Law Centre in Bristol where she helped in setting up its immigration team, representing clients and campaigning on asylum and immigration rights issues. She was a founding member of the Refugee Women’s Legal Group which was formed in 1996. Its aim was development of a gendered perspective on refugee law and practice.   

Minoo was on board of trustees of Refugee Action for the period 1994 to 2016. She has been a trustee of JCWI since 2008. In 2013 she was elected as its Chair and continued to act in this capacity until March 2020.