Masoumeh Ebtekar: “Sister Mary” of the Hostage Crisis Turned Corrupt Insider
Masoumeh Ebtekar got her start in the public eye during her role in the 1979 hostage crisis. Since that time, she has risen through the ranks of the “Reformist” party, enriching herself and affiliates with every year spent in public service. By the time Ebtekar reached her highest post, as Vice President for Women and Family Affairs from 2017-2021, she had facilitated plush government contracts for nearly every member of her nucellar family.
Ebtekar’s career—from student activist to inside politician—has been remarkable. During the hostage crisis, she was chosen as the spokesperson of the students due to her near-fluent English and was given the nickname “Sister Mary.” Ebtekar then became editor-in-chief of the hardline conservative Kayhan newspaper, before earning her PhD in immunology and securing a professorship in Tehran. She entered public service in 1997, being appointed head of the Department of Environment. However, by this time in Ebtekar’s career, she and her husband already had deep insider connections, and secured at least two fraudulent government contracts worth a combined 2.3 billion USD.
Two years later, Ebtekar was elected as a Tehran City Council member, a position which she used to influence government property decisions in favor of her family. By the time of Ebtekar’s role as Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, her sons had also grown to establish their own corrupt networks. Even Ebtekar’s elderly parents have used her status to acquire abnormally large government lands “donated” to their charity foundation. Throughout her career, the family has used Ebtekar’s status and reputation to protect themselves from prosecution, yet they are not immune from media scrutiny.
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