Media in Iran
All topics-
Women's rights in Iran
Freedom by stealth – and its public impact
The "My Stealthy Freedom" Internet campaign is designed to make Iranians aware of women’s rights in their homeland. The project’s aim is to free women from their often passive victim roles and inspire them to start their own initiatives. By Iman Aslani
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Interview with Hossein Derakhshan
Iran's 'blogfather' turned Internet sceptic
Hossein Derakhshan, a.k.a. Hoder, pioneered the blogger revolution in Iran. Released from prison following a term of six years, he barely recognised what the Internet has become. Interview by Julia Hitz
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Politics and economics in Iran
Pie in the sky
Four months after the historic nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been left practically empty-handed. UN sanctions against Iran have been largely lifted, but those still in force are so complex that few financial institutions in Europe are daring to conduct any business with Tehran, where there is a growing sense of disappointment – leaving rich pickings for the radicals. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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A report by Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar
″Pinning our hopes on a murderer″
When the news of repeated break-ins at her parents′ house reached Parastou Forouhar in January, the artist, who lives in Germany, travelled to Iran to deal with the situation in person. The house that had belonged to her parents, political activists Daryoush Forouhar and Parvaneh Eskandari, before they were murdered by the secret service, had been completely vandalised. An account by Parastou Forouhar
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Elections in Iran
A lesson for the powerful and the disempowered
Granted, elections in Iran have little impact on the real political conditions in the Islamic Republic, where to this day the leader of the revolution retains his hold on the reins of power. But even so, the latest round of voting has highlighted the atmosphere among large sections of the civilian population. An analysis by Ali Sadrzadeh
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Iran and its authors
The perils of writing
The history of modern Iranian literature has been shaped by censorship. Nonetheless, Iran is hoping to be guest of honour at the world′s leading book fair in Frankfurt in 2018. Amir Hassan Cheheltan, one of Iran′s best-known contemporary authors, describes how he copes with the situation
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Women′s rights in Iran
"Now it's the men's turn"
The team captain of the Iranian national football team did not take part in the Asian Games staged recently because her husband would not give his permission for her to leave the country. Although the law of the Islamic Republic was on his side, he apparently does not enjoy the support of all the men in his country. By Yalda Zarbakhch
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The role of Qassem Soleimani in Iraq
Reining in the lion
Until recently, General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards "Quds" Force, was still being hailed as a military hero and man for the future. But more and more details are emerging concerning his destructive role in Iraq. By Ali Sadrzadeh
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Interview with the Iranian filmmaker Ayat Najafi
"Freedom starts in the mind"
In his two documentary films, Ayat Najafi has focused on women who are fighting for change in Iran. Marian Brehmer talked to him about his projects and the difficulties faced by Iranian filmmakers
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Media portrayals and geopolitics in the Near and Middle East
Who shapes our image of the world?
In this commentary, Charlotte Wiedemann considers how press freedom and the media are tethered to Western geopolitics
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Interview with the Iranian theatre director Amir Reza Kohestani
"In Iran, art fills a void"
Amir Reza Kohestani is currently the most sought-after theatre director in Iran. David Siebert talked to him about censorship, the enthusiasm for theatre among young Iranians and the new cultural freedom under President Rouhani
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Iran's foreign policy in Yemen and Iraq
Arab fear of the "extended arm of Iran"
The recent capture of Sanaa by Zaidi fighters was celebrated in the Iranian media as a "victory for the revolutionaries". The Arab press, by contrast, accused Iran of trying to influence events in Yemen after already getting involved in Iraq and Syria. The conflict increasingly threatens to be seen as an exclusively Sunni–Shia power struggle. By Ali Sadrzadeh