Human Rights in the Era of Digital Authoritarianism/ Amin Qazaei

Does emerging technology strengthen individual freedoms or make authoritarian governments more capable of controlling and monitoring citizens? In response to this issue, there has always been a simple analytical framework: on one hand, information technology, with the emergence of the internet and later social networks, facilitates and accelerates the free flow of information and increases […]...

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Privacy in Public Spaces: A Human Rights Perspective/ Ehsan Haghani

Since legal systems gradually became instruments for exerting individual power over individuals and enforcing obedience to the commands of authority, the nature and use of laws have changed and turned into systems for reflecting the collective will and safeguarding individual rights. Systems based on the rule of law have emerged, increasingly emphasizing the importance and […]...

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Censorship and Censor; A Journey Traveled / Seyed Mohammad Sahafi

1- In 43, I was six years old when they took me to Savak Qom to visit my father who was in temporary detention at the branch of this organization on Station Street in Qom. They had taken him there to punish and intimidate him because he had been selling and distributing the banned book […]...

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Internet Execution Season/ Barbod Mirage

The chain of deliberate and unintentional events in the government of Ebrahim Raisi has led to the satisfaction of the internet in Iran reaching its lowest level. The 34% increase in internet prices was the final link in this chain that brought us to this point. But why have governing institutions, especially the government, raised […]...

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Publishing industry, under the oxygen mask; conversation with Hassan Kiaian, manager of Cheshme publishing/ Matin Mostafaei

The circulation of books in the country is decreasing and bookstores are going bankrupt or changing their profession. Newspapers and written media in Iran have also been struggling to survive for several years. Sometimes they have not published one or two issues for various reasons, or have reduced the number of pages. At times, they […]...

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Publication Manager of Baztab Negar: Censorship in the book industry is more prevalent than in other fields / Ali Kalaii.

“We are both private and bear the burden of government surveillance. This is a statement from a publisher who has been active in the field of publishing for years. According to him, the publishing industry, specifically independent publishing in Iran, does not receive government subsidies or financial aid, but is heavily controlled by the government […]...

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A few brief reflections on the crises of books in Iran / Reza Najafi

Book and reading in Iran are facing multiple crises because, on one hand, they are inheriting global problems such as the decline of the book market due to the emergence of powerful competitors like cinema, television, virtual space, and various computer games, as well as new media such as audio works, and on the other […]...

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“Return to the book, the true book!/ Saeed Barabadi”

The file of reading books by people around the world, especially Iranians, has changed significantly due to the coronavirus and long-term quarantines afterwards. However, in order to better understand this change, we must consider and accept the new types of reading in statistics, and acknowledge that all audio and visual products that are currently being […]...

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Critical Thinking/ Sayed Mohammad Safi

My colleagues from “Peace Line” have asked me to share some points with our esteemed readers about the role of literature in fostering critical thinking and to encourage those interested to explore this necessary matter. How can accessing and researching the ancient literary roots of our culture contribute to the expansion and development of “critical […]...

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Censorship of books with semi-legal tools / Ehsan Haghi

A book is considered one of the most important tools for the transmission and dissemination of ideas. Therefore, one of the important measures of freedom of expression in a society is the freedom of individuals to express their thoughts and beliefs in the form of a book. Like all human rights and freedoms, freedom of […]...

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If “City of Books” becomes the world of books/ Hermoz Sharifian

The position and culture of reading books in Iran is so esteemed and respected that parents and teachers in schools, from the very first years of education, introduce books as humans’ best friend and encourage children to read, and of course, they still do so. Of course, verbal encouragement alone is not enough to establish […]...

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Our culture and its relationship with democracy / Majid Shia Ali

You have probably encountered views that suggest democracy requires cultural prerequisites and that society lacks these prerequisites culturally. To justify this view, various comparisons are made to belittle Iranian society compared to developed countries. From driving in heavy city traffic compared to driving conditions in Northern European countries, to the proposal of a per capita […]...

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