Freedom of thought and expression

Last updated:

January 2, 2026

Freedom of thought and expression

Penal System or System of Belief? / Sina Yousefi

Repentance (tawba) has long been regarded in Islamic jurisprudence as a moral and devotional concept, and over time, it has also gained a significant role in criminal proceedings. Islamic jurisprudence, by linking the realm of religious ethics with the domain of punishment, has created an institution in which inner transformation can lead to the annulment […]...

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Created By: Sina Yousefi
November 22, 2025

Hope or fear after the ceasefire?/ Majid Shia Ali

  The twelve-day war has ended, but the war conditions have not ended. The shadow of war still looms over Iranian society. The threat of war, missile attacks, explosions, assassinations, and Israeli security operations in Iran are still serious. The continuation of the war situation, the inability of the government to take action to address […]...

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Created By: Majid Shia’ali
August 23, 2025

Cold peace as a model of governance in the post-crisis era/ Mina Javani

After the end of the twelve-day war, the situation in Iran has seemingly entered a phase of stability; a phase that in political discourse is referred to as “mutual restraint” or “controlled tension”, but at a structural level, it is not only a sign of a return to normalcy, but also a continuation of the […]...

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Created By: Mina Javani
August 23, 2025

What is the ‘Defense Council’ and why was it approved and formed? / Sina Yousefi

In the month of Khordad of this year, Iran witnessed one of the shortest and most expensive military confrontations, known as the 12-day war. This war not only targeted vital infrastructure of Iran, including sensitive nuclear facilities and defense systems, but also exposed deep-rooted weaknesses in the structure of the Islamic Republic’s defense and security. […]...

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Created By: Sina Yousefi
August 23, 2025

New Control Tool: Critics’ SIM Card Disconnect/ Fereshteh Goli

Nowadays, having a SIM card is one of the necessities of life in the digital and virtual world, and any deprivation of this right for anyone can be considered a tragedy. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has emphasized the importance of access to communication tools as a human right in several official documents, especially in […]...

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Created By: Fereshteh Goli
August 23, 2025

The right to access the internet is suspended/ Mohammad Hadi Jafarpour

A few days before the start of the twelve-day war, the issue of internet classification caused some political and civil activists to criticize the decision, referring to the president’s promise to remove filtering. Such restrictions on citizens’ rights are being imposed while in the country’s political-judicial structure, various rules and laws have been formulated and […]...

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Created By: Mohammad Hadi Jafarpour
August 23, 2025

Legislating in the Shadow of War / Neda Qanbari

When asked about the 12-day war and its consequences, my mind doesn’t go to anything but images of destruction and the sound of bomb explosions. I think more about the days when “silence” after the war was heavier than any explosion, engulfing the entire country. In those moments, just when we expected peace after the […]...

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Created By: Neda Ghanbari
August 23, 2025

Legal Authoritarianism for Social Control/ Nasrollah Lashani

The importance of the constitution in establishing and solidifying democracy is a legacy of the American Revolution. After the victory of the American Revolution and the independence of this country from British monarchy, the revolutionaries emphasized and focused on the drafting and regulation of the constitution, striving to carefully and skillfully design a national covenant […]...

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Created By: Nasrollah Lashni
August 23, 2025

Espionage: The Regime’s Worn-Out Tool to Silence Dissent/ Reza Alijani

Onstage and Behind the Scenes of the Ratification of Article Nine of the Constitution Article 9 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran states: “In the Islamic Republic of Iran, freedom, independence, unity, and the territorial integrity of the country are inseparable, and preserving them is the duty of the government and all […]...

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Created By: Reza Alijani
July 23, 2025

Checkpoint or Deathtrap? A Dark Account from Tarik-Darreh, Hamedan After the Twelve-Day War / Reza Harisi

The end of the twelve-day war between Iran and Israel, contrary to public expectations, did not result in a fragile peace but rather ushered in a disturbing and unstable state within the country. During the war and immediately following the announcement of the ceasefire, security and military forces of the Islamic Republic established hundreds of […]...

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Created By: Reza Harisi
July 23, 2025

Revisiting the Role of the Media in the Twelve-Day War/ Mina Javani

In times of crisis—particularly within the context of military conflicts—the media move beyond their conventional role as mere transmitters of information. They become active agents in shaping public opinion, constructing dominant narratives, and organizing collective emotions. The twelve-day war between Iran and Israel once again demonstrated that the battlefield is not confined to weaponry and […]...

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Created By: Mina Javani
July 23, 2025

When the Twelve-Day War Reached the Internet/ Fereshteh Goli

In today’s world, the internet has a clear meaning: a tool for fast, direct, and uncensored communication among people, with access to firsthand news and information—even if that information is sometimes incorrect or misleading. In any case, the right to access the internet is recognized in international law as part of fundamental human rights and […]...

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Created By: Fereshteh Goli
July 23, 2025