Described by her family as a “global citizen” who “is dedicated to [journalism] as a force for peace and justice in the world,” Parvaz was born in Iran, grew up in Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere, formerly worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and is a citizen of Iran, the U.S. and Canada. She traveled to Syria to cover the revolt there for Al Jazeera. She apparently was detained by Syrian authorities at the Damascus airport, and has not been seen since.