Shops are prohibited from displaying any signs or selling any products associated with the “decadent Western cultural phenomenon known as Valentine’s Day,” Iran’s police force announced on February 10. “Young men and women should ...
The Islamic Republic of Iran refers to the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution as the “Explosion of Light.” But the reality is quite dark…filled with repression, denial of the most basic rights and freedoms, imprisonment, and ...
In addition to the massive disqualifications of moderate candidates for upcoming elections in Iran, hardliners have implemented another strategy to prevent challenges to their power: restricting the number of seats to important governmental bodies in order ...
Authorities Block App within 24 Hours of Its Debut A smartphone application aimed at helping Iranian users avoid the country’s morality police became a smash hit immediately after it was released today, with its servers being inundated ...
3000 reformist applicants (99%) disqualified for Parliament in first vetting. 63% of all applicants disqualified in first vetting, reduced to 40% in second round. Prominent ayatollahs excluded from Assembly of experts for their moderate affiliations. In most of ...
Iran’s judicial authorities have hinted that Kurdish prisoner of conscience Zeinab Jalalian could go on furlough if she agreed to a televised confession, according to her lawyer, Mohammad Sharif. ...
“Tell our friends for us, remember the spent candle! Remember!" Iranian cartoonist Touka Neyestani's take on Zahra Rahnavard's message to her family, after five ...
Political satire by Ebrahim Nabavi “My opponents should definitely vote in the elections, but there’s no need for them to become candidates,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ahead of the Islamic Republic’s upcoming parliamentary elections. ...
First they called it “white marriage,” now it’s “black coupling.” But no matter how Iranian officials choose to denigrate the upward trend of young unmarried couples living together, it’s bound to grow. That’s ...
Updated on January 26, 2017: Bahman Daroshafaei’s one-year prison sentence for “propaganda against the state” has been reduced to a five million toman ($1,545 USD) fine and his passport has been returned to him upon appeal, ...
Bahman Daroshafaei, a former journalist and translator, was arrested on February 3, 2016 at his home in Tehran under a warrant issued by Branch 2 of the Evin Prison Courts (Shahid Moqaddas), according ...
An attack last week on one of Iran’s most famous actresses by hardline vigilantes has been condemned by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Rouhani administration’s top official in charge of ...
Courtesy of BBC Persian Twenty-four Baha’is from northeastern Iran have been handed down sentences that range from six to eleven years “simply for being Baha’is,” ...
The prominent Kurdish human rights activist, Mohammad Sediq Kaboudvand, has been recommended for conditional release by the chief warden of the notorious Evin Prison, but the prosecutor in his ...
Three months after their arrests, journalists Issa Saharkhiz and Ehsan Mazandarani have been formally charged with “acting against national security” and “propaganda against ...
February 1, 2016— Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should extend all efforts to obtain the release of Saeed Malekpour, a Canadian resident and web develop imprisoned in Iran since 2008 on false charges, three prominent human ...
The student of a spiritual leader in Iran who has been imprisoned for his alternative beliefs, has been summoned to court for attending a gathering in support of his freedom. The trial of Sara Saei, a ...
This op-ed was originally published in French. By Hadi Ghaemi This week, President Hassan Rouhani will visit Europe, including France, his first trip since the implementation of Iran’s nuclear deal. The two governments will focus on boosting ...
The family of prisoner of conscience Mostafa Azizi is calling on Canada to exert more pressure on Iran to release him following the prisoner swap that led to the freedom of four Iranian-Americans ...
Iranian cartoonist Touka Neyestani's look at the widespread arbitrary disqualifications of female and reformist candidates by the Islamic Republic of Iran's Council of Guardians....
A coalition of Iranian artists have called for the immediate release of three music producers sentenced to six years in prison for promoting underground music in Iran. “This kind of sentencing by the Judiciary is more ...
Increased foreign investment and access to foreign companies’ technology products in Iran now that sanctions against Tehran have been lifted will not only aid the country’s ailing economy, it will also give Internet access a vital ...
The release of Iranian-Americans in the recent prisoner exchange between Iran and the United States has given hope to the family of prisoner of conscience Saeed Malekpour that he too might also be freed. “When ...
“Why has the Islamic Republic agreed to the release of Iranian-American prisoners but they won’t free our own prisoners who are the children of Iran?” asked Ahmad Ronaghi Maleki, whose son, Hossein Ronaghi ...
While expressing joy at Iran’s recent release of four imprisoned Iranian-Americans, Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi has called on the Iranian government to “make peace with its own people,” now that it has shown ...