There is an uproar outside. Voices echo and the roar of shouting can be heard. Among the guards and in the corridors, there is constant whispering. But no one tells the prisoner anything. The prisoner is treated as an outsider. From time to time, from near and far, the sound of explosions reaches the ear. […]...

Based on nearly nine years of my own lived experience in four prisons—Evin, Rajai Shahr, Nadamatgah, and Kachouii in Karaj—I can say with certainty that the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the existence of domestic laws and its human rights claims, has consistently shown that preserving the human dignity of prisoners and […]...

The young Iran of yesterday is old today, and has lost its way. An Iran in which the concept of life has been reduced to “bare life,” and the “state of exception” belongs not merely to yesterday and today, but is the product of long years of erasing the boundary between life and death. A […]...

Nights grow dark earlier than ever; not because of blackout, but because of the weight of something no one can quite name. When the siren sounds, the mother involuntarily places her hand on her chest, the very place where she last heard her son’s voice, over a crackling phone line that was cut off too […]...

Over the past three months, following the severe suppression of domestic protests in Iran and then with the outbreak of war in the region, the Islamic Republic government has drastically restricted—and at times effectively cut off—residents’ access to the internet. This disruption is not merely a break in the flow of information; it means living […]...

Prisons and prisoners in Iran have perhaps never had laws or rights; there have been years when the situation was relatively better and the most basic rules were observed, and there have been dark years when Lajevardi and Dr. Ahmadi ruled over the lives and deaths of prisoners and their basic rights. The US and […]...

The accumulated crises in the political, economic, and social structure of the Islamic Republic reached an explosive point in January 1404, which, in terms of geographical scope, the intensity of government violence, and the depth of popular demands, constituted the most unprecedented challenge to governance in Iran’s contemporary history. The January 1404 uprising, which sprouted […]...

Speaking of public executions evokes a primal image: a crowd gathered in a square, a platform bathed in sunlight or shadow, and the haunting silhouette of the condemned. A scene that feels both ancient and profoundly disturbing. Most modern objections to this practice are based on human rights principles, empathy, and a deep revulsion triggered […]...

There is precedent in modern military history for air assaults on prisons. In some cases, such incidents result from operational errors or misfires during broader military campaigns. One of the most tragic examples occurred in May 1999, when NATO launched strikes in response to the Serbian army’s ethnic repression of Kosovar Albanians. Among the multiple […]...

In recent years, mahrieh (marital dowry) has become a topic of contention and dispute both in Iranian society and within the domains of policymaking and legislation. The culturally widespread trend of setting exorbitant mahrieh amounts has led lawmakers and the Iranian judiciary to pursue policies aimed at reducing legal and judicial support for mahrieh. However, […]...

In a land where the prison walls rise higher than the voice of truth, silence can be deadlier than torture. Every year, dozens of citizens in deprived regions—particularly in provinces like Sistan and Baluchestan, Khuzestan, Kurdistan, and others—are arrested on security-related charges without a single mention of their names in the media. These individuals, often […]...

Ah, the deceit of winter—Joy in lifeHas dwindled downTo mere survival. And yet,Poetry still exists.The moon still exists.In the palm of the oceanPearls are stillWaiting to be found. Though sleep has spread,WakefulnessRemains beautiful. They shatter the torches.They erase the starsWith black pens… To see tomorrow, We must awaken—Before we areAwoken. A man became our mother,With […]...