After gunmen killed 12 staff members of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo for the paper's content in 2015, Iranian-American comedian Maz Jobrani joined colleagues in a video produced by the Center for Human Rights in ...
In Iran, the Ministry of Guidance and Islamic Culture imposes a strict process of review and approval for all screenplays before films can be legally produced in the country. Films that are produced also face censorship, and directors ...
As a girl visiting her birth country of Iran, British actress Nazanin Boniadi got a taste of the severely restricted rights women there live with on a daily basis. That experience inspired her to get educated ...
The Iranian-American engineer, businessman, and philanthropist Khosrow Semnani made a name in foreign policy circles in both Washington and Tehran in 2013 after he published a comprehensive report about the environmental and human costs of a military strike ...
“Authors have learned that they cannot write about things that are against the country’s official religion, or against national security, or anything that promotes ‘moral corruption’ and ‘indecency.’” State censorship of the publishing industry in Iran ...
“People Lack Buying Power, Writers Lack Inspiration,” Says Novelist Several books by dissident authors in Iran were banned from the 32nd Tehran International Book Fair (April 24-May 4) by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the ...
Iranian actress Maryam Moghaddam (also referred to as Moqadam), has written an open letter to Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi asking why she was suddenly barred from working on a movie. “Mr. Minister! This ...
A concert by the popular Persian pop band Hoorosh was canceled by judicial order an hour before show time on February 20, 2019, in the city of Firouzeh, northeastern ...
Victims Face Social Stigma and Inadequate State Laws and Services “How many more victims should acid take until it’s banned, or its trade is limited, or a new law is passed so not everyone dares to ...
Complaint Brought by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Prominent Iranian theater director and playwright Mohammad Rahmanian has been charged with “propaganda against the state” based on a complaint by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for allegedly featuring ...
Beloved Blogger Broke Taboos by Writing About Political and Social Issues with Humor November 29, 2018—The death in exile of prominent Iranian satirist Alireza Rezaei has prompted an outpouring of grief by his compatriots inside and ...
June 22, 2018—In an open letter, prominent women of Iranian origin including Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and legendary singer Googoosh have urged the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to demand that Iran end ...
Sepideh Jandaghi is a professional singer who's unable to perform solo in Iran because she's a woman. The Islamic Republic's laws and customs also makes ...
Several Iranian celebrities publicly turned down President Hassan Rouhani’s invitation to attend a Ramadan “iftar” dinner scheduled for May 30, 2018, in protest against social and economic issues with the hashtag, “We_will_not_go_to_Iftar” ...
There's a new and growing conversation about disability rights in Iran. Here are 10 ways we can treat people with disabilities as equals and with respect. We all have a ...
Before musicians can perform concerts in Iran without the threat of the authorities suddenly canceling them, someone has to convince conservative Shia Muslim clerics that music is not un-Islamic. “Some of the things that ...
Iranian cartoonist Touka Neyastani depicts the life of authors in Iran, struggling to publish their works amid strict censorship laws....
Works by prominent Iranian-American artists were showcased to a packed house on June 14, the opening night of the “Beyond the Ban” art exhibition, a collaboration between the Center for Human Rights in ...
The well-known Iranian poet Mohamadreza Haj Rostambegloo was released on bail from Karaj’s Central Prison last week, following his third arrest by the authorities in Iran in the last six years. His mother, Maryam Soltani, told the ...
Over the past few days, Iranian authorities have inexplicably delayed and cancelled two cultural events in Tehran. The first was a well-publicized group exhibition of paintings commemorating the birthday of the beloved female poet, Forough Farrokhzad, scheduled to open in Tehran’s Vista Gallery on Friday, ...
In a letter addressed to Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati, a group of Iranian musicians, music principals, and supporters have asked him to end the suppression of musicians and music professionals and to ensure that artists are not imprisoned for producing ...
More than 45 famous Iranian filmmakers, actors, and authors have demanded the releases of Mohammad Nourizad and Jafar Panahi. In their letter they state: “We, the undersigned, support the rights of all filmmakers who are able to make films now and in the future, and ...
“We deplore the violence and crackdown on peaceful protesters, the increasing restrictions on civil liberties, and the imprisonment of a growing number of civil leaders in Iran. ” Archbishop Destmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate, 1984 “If one country sincerely wants to support democracy in another ...
