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Iran: Mourning Hikers, Hoping for Wisdom
So many people were touched by the story of the three Iranian climbers who successfully opened a new way to the summit of Broad Peak, yet were lost on the way down. Social networks buzzed with news, prayers, and remembrances of the climbers. Trees on Tehran’s
Desperately Seeking Birth Control in #Iran
Narges Bajoghli recounts her problems gaining access to safe contraceptives in Iran. She writes, “I knew that Western sanctions against Iran had made it difficult if not impossible to procure many vital medicines…But I never thought there would be shortages of
International Civil Society: Need for Global Solidarity
In a new series, Arseh Sevom summarizes reports on civil society throughout the world. This post looks at the 2012 publication of Defending Civil Society. This report notes that the space for civil society throughout the world seems to be shrinking even as con
Security Forces Unlawfully Close Iran’s House of Cinema
Arseh Sevom believes that the interference from governmental bodies and security forces is the primary cause for the problems facing one of the biggest NGOs in Iran. What has happened to the members of House of Cinema in the past few years is a violation of th
House of Cinema Attacked
July 15, 2013 was another in a long list of bad days for Iran’s beleaguered House of Cinema. On the order of the Ministry of Culture, the building that houses the organization was broken into and shut down by the police.
What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding in the #CyrusCylinder
The Cyrus Cylinder preserves a proclamation from Cyrus the Great which has been called the first declaration of human rights. Hirad Abtahi, first legal adviser of the Presidency of the International Criminal Court, examines the proclamation in a recently publi
Iran Elections: Celebration Now, A Long and Unpredictable Path Ahead
In the run-up to the elections, there were threats against the families of BBC reporters. The Internet in Iran was slowed to a crawl. The Iranian Cyber Army launched botnet attacks against a number of media sites including BBC, Radio Farda, and Radio Zamaneh.
Iran: Ultra Democracy, Engineering Makes it So
In the most “engineered” of election campaigns since the inception of the Islamic Republic, candidates are surprised to find themselves censored. The Revolutionary Guards reorganizes to face the challenge posed by elections, warning that Ahmadinejad supporters
Hope Concert
Iranian-American journalist and peace activist Roxana Saberi, who will present the HOPE Concert at the Velodrom in Berlin on June 7, announces the concert at a […]