Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Elahe Tavakolian, Who Lost Eyesight in Iran Protests, Bears Witness 

By Ahmad Rafat The 34-year-old Elahe Tavakolian is one of many Iranians who lost their eyesight after being shot by security forces during the nationwide protest sparked by the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while...
Benyamin Alboghbiesh

ANALYSIS: Death of Iranian Arab in Prison Raises Human Rights Concerns

By Ahmad Rafat Benyamin Alboghbiesh, a 28-year-old ethnic Arab who along with his brother Mohammad Ali were arrested by security agents on May 26, has died under suspicious circumstances at the Intelligence Detention Center in...

Dzhangal: An Exhibition Not to Forget the Errant Refugees

By Ahmad Rafat
Gideon Mendel chose Dzhangal and not jungle, its English translation, as the name for his recent exhibition in London on the state of refugees, who for years, lived on the outskirts of the port of Calais, France, with the hope of crossing to Britain.

ANALYSIS: Iran’s Revolutionary Movement Poses A Severe Threat to Regime

By Ahmad Rafat The nationwide protests sparked by the September death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini while in the custody of the morality police in Tehran have now subsided. Yet there is ample evidence that the unrest,...

Singing About Hijab: Pop Vocalist Golazin Speaks to Kayhan Life

By Ahmad Rafat Golazin Ardestani, better known as “Golazin” or “Gola,” is an Iranian-born Trap pop and urban singer. She has recently released her latest single, Haghmeh, which is about the mandatory hijab imposed on Iranian...
European Commission's Federica Mogherini

ANALYSIS: Europe Distances Itself from Iran

By Ahmad Rafat Germany, Britain, and France have warned that they will withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, if Tehran were to continue to...

Iranian Journalists Urge Their Association to Change Discriminatory Membership Rules

By Ahmad Rafat In 1997, the Association of Iranian Journalists began its activities as the Iranian branch of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Two months after the 2009 presidential elections, the association was shut...

Iranian Filmmakers, Actresses Defy Regime In Aftermath of Protests

By Ahmad Rafat and Firouzeh Nordstrom Since the start of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in 2022, Iranian cinema has entered a new phase unparalleled in the past four and a half decades. Independent filmmakers...

ANALYSIS: What Role Did Iran’s New President Play in the 1988 Executions? 

By Ahmad Rafat Sayyid Ebrahim Raisolsadati, better known as Ebrahim Raisi, will take office as the Islamic Republic’s eighth president on August 5. The June presidential elections have differed in many aspects from all previous ones. For...

ANALYSIS: Iran’s Elections Are Setback for Khamenei 

By Ahmad Rafat On June 28, Iran held an election to choose a successor for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19 while returning from a visit...