Maryam Rafiee is an Iranian Canadian lawyer, writer, and human rights advocate based in Toronto. Her work explores themes of displacement, political repression, memory, migration, and access to justice.
Born in Iran, Maryam’s teenage years were shaped by the imprisonment of her father, scholar and political activist Hossein Rafiee. During his detention, she wrote letters to him that she could never send—letters about fear, hope, and the longing to be heard. Fifteen years later, following her father’s second imprisonment, those letters became the basis for her first book, Dear Baba: A Story Through Letters, a memoir reflecting on political imprisonment, family separation, and resilience under authoritarian rule.
Before immigrating to Canada in 2014, Maryam worked in Iran as a cultural heritage specialist and published numerous articles on Iranian cultural heritage and preservation.
Following her father’s second detention in 2015, Maryam became actively involved in international human rights advocacy. She led a campaign drawing attention to his arbitrary detention in Iran, collaborated with human rights organizations and international media, and filed a successful complaint before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
These experiences inspired her to pursue a legal career dedicated to supporting marginalized and displaced communities. Alongside her legal practice, Maryam continues to write creative nonfiction and essays on exile, identity, intergenerational trauma, and belonging. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, The Room, The New Quarterlyem>, and The Humber Literary Reviewem>, among others. She is also a public speaker on human rights advocacy and storytelling.
Her forthcoming book, Was It Worth It? A Journey of Leaving, Losing, and Becoming, is a collection of personal stories exploring migration, memory, and the complexities of living between borders and identities.