Saleh Nikbakht: There Is No Criminal Offense Called “Norm-Breaking” in the Islamic Penal Code/ Ali Kalaei

Following the subsiding of direct clashes between Iran and the United States and Israel, and while Iran continues to remain in a state of “neither war nor peace,” the intensification of business closures, pressure on cafés and social spaces, and actions against activists and social media pages have raised serious questions about the relationship between […]...

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What Is the State Afraid Of? Sealing as a Technique of Governing Space/ Mina Javani

Political power is not exercised only through laws and formal institutions; it also manifests itself in the way spaces are organized, movement is regulated, and the limits of social presence are defined. One way to observe the logic of power in action is to examine moments when a place becomes the subject of intervention not […]...

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From “Content Censorship” to “Behavioral Engineering”/ Mustafa Danandeh

The issue is not merely the closure of an Instagram page. It is not merely the sealing of a café or the summoning of a blogger. The issue is not even only hijab, music, tourism tours, or the content of an online page. What has been seen in Iran in recent weeks, when viewed together, […]...

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Norm-Breaking: An Ambiguous Label, Broad Criminal Discretion/ Eldar Khiavi

Introduction: Two Complementary Movements in the Language of Power In the official discourse of the Islamic Republic, “norm-breaking” appears to be a simple term used to describe deviation from accepted social rules. But this sociological appearance conceals its political and criminal function. In part of the political discourse of recent years, the central instance of […]...

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