Stories about Farsi
To apply for a national ID card in Iran, members of ‘unrecognized’ religious minorities now need to deny their faith
The removal of the "other religions" option from the national ID card application form essentially bars members of certain religious minorities from full citizenship.
Iran protests: Flying bullets and internet shutdown
The current protests are more widespread, more diverse in terms of class, and characterized by a brutal government response that includes a near-total shutdown of the internet.
Winning a literary award won't set you free: An interview with author and asylum-seeker Behrooz Boochani
Australia's detention camps whistleblower describes conditions as hellish
Iran's invisible children
"Given the Islamic Republic’s history of discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, this lack of infrastructure, economic negligence and the depth of poverty appears intentional..."
Trump unleashed a collective facepalm in Afghanistan with account of 1979 Soviet invasion
"We're caught in the middle. End of story."
Parkour for peace: Kabul youth turns war-pocked landscape into a playground for dare devils
"When we tried to attend parkour events in Europe our visa applications were refused just because we hold Afghan passports."
On World Poetry Day, Some Verses Straight From Persia's Heart

"The sadness in my heart, like a mountain/The heart under your chest, like a stone."
What Were Global Voices’ Readers up to Last Week?
During the week of February 5-11, 2018, Global Voices' stories and translations attracted readers from 195 countries!
The Draft Budget That Inflamed Protests in Iran
"You’ve turned as all into beggars. Please tell Mr. Khamenei, tell the president, tell everyone, tell them we are desperate. We don’t need this revolution. We hate the clerics."
Corruption and Poverty Lead to Rage and Despair in Iran
"The members of parliament need to know that they are accountable to the people, that they represent the people, and that the eyes of the people are upon them."
Iranian Technicians Have Been Ordered to Disrupt International Web Traffic Amid Protests

“We have been ordered to interrupt international traffic,” a source at an Iranian internet exchange point said.
A ‘Verified’ Social Media Account Can Help Protect Iranian Activists — If They’re Lucky Enough to Get One

Social media companies can do more to protect communities facing online attacks.
Afghan Asylum Seekers’ Anti-Deportation Protest in Stockholm Marks Two Weeks
"Stop deporting minors. Or even better, stop all deportation of refugees."
After Campaigning on Internet Freedom, Iranian President's ICT Minister Boasts of Internet Censorship

ICT Minister Mahmoud Vaezi announced that Rouhani had effectively improved methods to control the Internet space as well as shut down a number of platforms.
Student Leaders Spark Hope for Change on Iran’s National Student Day

"Iran’s civil society and student movements remain a ray of hope, and indeed pride, for a nation that continues to struggle for change."
To Some Iranians Watching the US Elections, Democracy Really Seems Like a House of Cards

For some Iranians the 2016 US presidential elections has been shadowed by a demagoguery they know only too well from their own political sphere's struggles for democracy.
Iran’s Keywan Karimi: The Filmmaker as Graffiti Artist

Working under threat of imprisonment for practicing his craft, Iranian filmmaker Keywan Karimi has turned the difficult conditions of artistic production into an aesthetic.