Featured stories about Iran
Stories about Iran
1 February 2020
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.
14 January 2020
‘An interplay between Western and Eastern Cultures': Two art exhibitions on cultural collisions
In October 2019 in Brooklyn, New York, two women artists from Iran and Pakistan exhibited new bodies of work in which they portrayed the interplay between Western and Eastern cultures
10 December 2019
‘Creating Suspension Between Contradictory States': An interview with artist Parastou Forouhar
"I try to create the potential for suspension between contradictory states that will emotionally and psychologically engage viewers and make them ask questions."
20 November 2019
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.
5 November 2019
Why is Pakistan trying to broker Iran-Saudi peace talks?
Despite many unresolved domestic issues, Pakistan's role towards brokering an Iran-Saudi peace talk is being widely criticized at home and abroad.
25 October 2019
Iran’s drive to block international services continues with Google Play ban
The decision to block Google Play is consistent with the authorities' strategy to foist home-grown Iranian apps and services on Iranian internet users and limit the availability of international services.
29 August 2019
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
1 August 2019
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..."
5 July 2019
Iran’s Draft Data Protection Act: Too little but not too late
While lawmakers wait to ratify the Draft Act, they must pay heed to international digital rights standards in the new Draft Law for the Personal Data Protection and Safeguarding
16 April 2019
Material Culture art exhibition communicates deep personal experiences to transcend cultural borders
The exhibition features the work of five Iran-born artists who use “nonrepresentational forms” and a range of materials to create a visual language that communicates deep personal experiences and transcends...
11 April 2019
5 April 2019
Netizen Report: As water levels rise, Iran’s ban on messaging apps is slowing emergency relief for flood victims
Iranians ask for censorship pause in face of fatal floods, Indians suspect Facebook of election meddling and Australia tries to ban violent videos.
3 April 2019
Government official says the ban on messaging apps is slowing flood relief in Iran
"In situations where sharing information is vital, censorship can turn into a deadly phenomenon."
14 March 2019
Why is the Islamic Republic of Iran afraid of Nasrin Sotoudeh?
"The Islamic Republic is struggling for its survival. Anyone with the potential of leading change is regarded as a significant threat by the authorities. Nasrin Sotoudeh is such a person."
12 February 2019
Iranian environmentalists fear death penalty after a year behind bars
Public prosecutors built much of their case against the group from a forced confession made by one of the activists.
31 December 2018
Censored in 2018: Protest videos, court verdicts, real news — and Peppa Pig
From blocked websites to revoked media licenses to account shutdowns, censorship comes in many forms. Here are a few we saw in 2018.
7 November 2018
A conversation with Nicky Nodjoumi on the power and politics of his art
"Choosing power as one of the main topics of my work is rooted in the desire to drag it down to the ground and make fun of it."
24 October 2018
In Iran, state-sanctioned messaging apps are the new hallmark of internet nationalization
Since they censored Telegram, Iranian officials have deployed aggressive measures in an effort to promote national messaging services.
14 October 2018
For these Iranian twin-sister artists, collaboration is “like one person working with her other self”
"'Reincarnation' implies a new life. If we can make the audience wake up and realize the world around them and see the beauty in it, it is a huge success."
15 August 2018
The ongoing water crisis in Iran's Ahwaz region looming towards disaster
"Why don’t the authorities listen to our voices? Our Buffaloes are dying because of the river drying up. [...] If these animals are starved, we will starve too."
