Mourning means different things to different people. Even within one culture. But the month of Moharram, (7 December–4 January) the first month of the Islamic Calendar with its decrees and limitations is interpreted beyond the letter in Iran. To...
Iran’s oldest gallery of contemporary art is under threat of closure. Tehran’s Seyhoun Gallery opened its doors in 1966, showcasing, launching and establishing many of Iran’s prominent 20th-century artists. Founded by the painter Massoumeh Seyhoun,...
A group of Iranian exiled Iranian writers has written an open letter calling for the release of Julian Assange: آزادی بیان مهمترین رکن یک جامعهی دموکراتیک آزادی بیان دستآورد سالها مبارزهی آزادیخواهان جهان است. دولتهای کشورهای پیشرفته و...
No right to assembly or protest. As an independent trade unionist in Iran your actions are automatically illegitimate in the eyes of the state and for many carry a prison sentence. One such worker Reza Shahabi, treasurer of the Bus Workers’ Union...
Lawyers in Rome, Madrid, Paris, The Hague and Berlin will today protest against the wrongful imprisonment of their colleagues in Iran. On this the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, Iranian Embassies will be presented with a letter of...
Reading The Economist's Bagehot blog, earlier this week its writer's dismissal of Britain’s student protests with “The revolution will be along later” was resonant of the final analysis many made of Iran’s “Green” movement: despite the...
Index on Censorship today launches Iran Uncut, a special initiative to unearth and revitalise the plethora of archives of literary, artistic, photographic and other creative works by Iranians denied publication and expression in their homeland. Pen...
Bahman Totonchi, a journalist for the former Kurdish weekly Karfto, was arrested on 18 November following a house search by intelligence agents. The authorities had been harassing the journalist since the closure of Karfto on 29 December last year,...
Iran’s culture ministry yesterday closed down nine lifestyle magazines, claiming they used ‘photos of artists, especially foreign corrupt film stars, as instruments to arouse desire’. The motivation for the ban is unclear. None of the magazines...
His Excellency Mr Rasoul Movahedian Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran 16 Prince’s Gate London SW7 1PT Fax: 020 7589 4440 19 June 2007 Your Excellency, ARTICLE 19, English PEN and Index on Censorship call for the immediate release of three...