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Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

Climate Crisis
Condition Critical: Desertification Threatens to Turn Iran's Future to Dust

Condition Critical: Desertification Threatens to Turn Iran’s Future to Dust

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Michael Scollon ( RFE/RL ) – Temperatures in Iran are hitting record highs, rivers and lakes are drying up, and prolonged droughts are becoming the norm, highlighting a water crisis that is turning much of the country’s territory to dust. The desertification of Iran is occurring at a staggering pace, with officials last month […]

Human Rights
Iranian Court Sparks Controversy By Diagnosing Hijab Protesters With Mental Illness

Iranian Court Sparks Controversy By Diagnosing Hijab Protesters With Mental Illness

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Roya Maleki Left to right: Iranian actresses Afsaneh Bayegan, Azadeh Samadi, and Leila Bolukat were all arrested for appearing in public without the mandatory hijab, or head scarf. At their sentencing, judges ruled that they were “mentally ill.”     ( RFE/RL ) – Judges in Iran have diagnosed three prominent actresses sentenced for […]

Feminism
Return Of ‘Morality Police’ To Iranian Streets Leaves Women Fearful But Defiant

Return Of ‘Morality Police’ To Iranian Streets Leaves Women Fearful But Defiant

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Mehdi Tahbaz “Our girls are fighting and know that there is no way back for us and we are not going back, and our answer to them wanting to forcibly put a hijab on us is, ‘No!’” one women’s rights activist in Tehran said.     ( RFE/RL) – The return of the so-called […]

Authoritarianism
Protests Erupt In Northern Iran Amid Attempts To Enforce Hijab Rules

Protests Erupt In Northern Iran Amid Attempts To Enforce Hijab Rules

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

( RFE/ RL ) – Protests have erupted in the northern Iranian city of Rasht following an attempt by government officials to arrest three women over violations of mandatory hijab rules amid reports that the country’s leadership has ordered the resumption of so-called “morality police” patrols. An Iranian morality policeman (right) speaks with a woman […]

Afghanistan
The Limits Of China's Budding Relationship With Afghanistan's Taliban

The Limits Of China’s Budding Relationship With Afghanistan’s Taliban

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Abubakar Siddique | – ( RFE/ RL ) – China has played a visible role in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Beijing is among only a handful of countries to maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul, where the Chinese ambassador regularly meets with Taliban officials. There has also been a surge […]

Feminism
Mahsa Amini’s Family Accuses Iran’s Security Forces Of Vandalizing Her Grave

Mahsa Amini’s Family Accuses Iran’s Security Forces Of Vandalizing Her Grave

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

( RFE/RL) – The family of Mahsa Amini have blamed Iran’s security forces for vandalizing the grave of the young woman whose death while in police custody in September 2022 ignited nationwide protests that have turned into one of the biggest threats to the Islamic republic’s leadership since it took power in 1979. The Amini […]

Climate Crisis
Iran’s Environmental Standards, Polluted Reality Mix Like Oil And Water

Iran’s Environmental Standards, Polluted Reality Mix Like Oil And Water

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Michael Scollon ( RFE/RL) – National Clean Air Day was not a cause for celebration this year in Tehran, where many residents were shuttered in their homes for their own safety to avoid exposure to the Iranian capital’s infamous and deadly smog. In the run-up to January 19, the day Iran dedicates to promoting […]

Arms Sales
Can Iran and Russia's Arms Swapping Sustain A Lasting Defense Partnership?

Can Iran and Russia’s Arms Swapping Sustain A Lasting Defense Partnership?

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Michael Scollon     ( RFE/RL ) – When Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Moscow in early 2022, he had high hopes of leaving with defense deals that would circumvent international sanctions and take advantage of the expiration of a United Nations embargo on arms trading with Tehran. Russian fighter jets, advanced antimissile defense […]

Afghanistan
Art As Therapy: Afghan Women Paint Their Experiences Under Taliban Rule

Art As Therapy: Afghan Women Paint Their Experiences Under Taliban Rule

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

women Afghanistan Taliban patriarchy male chauvinism art creativity

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