Written by Jordan Richard Schoenherr, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Concordia University Along with the recent reciprocal drone strikes by Iran and the United States in Syria, Russia continues to unleash its arsenal on Ukrainian civilian and military targets alike. While the Russian armies have started using outdated weapons, novel technologies remain the objects of fascination on […]
Written by Mona Tajali, Associate Professor of International Relations and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Agnes Scott College It’s been six months since the latest spark ignited mass protests in Iran — the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa (Jina) Amini in morality police custody after she was arrested for allegedly failing to wear her hijab […]
Written by Paul Rogers, Professor of Peace Studies, University of Bradford Following political developments in the past fortnight, two state-level policy changes in the Middle East are likely to combine to have a substantial impact on regional stability. On March 10, in a deal brokered by China and signed in Beijing, Saudi Arabia and Iran […]
Written by Simon Mabon, Professor of International Relations, Lancaster University After more than four decades as seemingly implacable enemies on either side of a deep political-religious divide in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies. The deal, which was signed in Beijing, comes seven years after […]
Written by Simin Fadaee, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Manchester Forty-four years after Iranians rose up against their hated monarch in February 1979, a group of 20 organisations engaged in long-term social and economic struggles – including labour unions, teachers, women’s groups and youth and student movements – issued an ultimatum to the government […]
Iran has been rocked by a series of poison attacks on schoolgirls, causing hundreds of students to fall ill. The motives behind these attacks remain unclear, but there are speculations that they may be in retaliation for the recent protests against mandatory hijab laws in the country.
Written by Maryam Afshar
Written by Amin Saikal, Adjunct professor, The University of Western Australia The Iranian Islamic regime has been seriously challenged since the start of public protests last September. The government has sought to contain and suppress the protesters – even resorting to executions – but has been unable to stop them. There are continuing reports of […]
Written by Ahmet T. Kuru, Professor of Political Science, San Diego State University On Jan. 17, 2023, Pakistan’s National Assembly unanimously voted to expand the country’s laws on blasphemy, which carries the death penalty for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. The new law now extends the punishment to those deemed to have insulted the prophet’s companions, […]
Written by Simon Rice, Professor of Law; Kim Santow Chair of Law and Social Justice, University of Sydney The Iranian government has attempted to brutally suppress the widespread protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September 2022. Central to Iran’s response have been the country’s “revolutionary courts”. They have […]
Written by Michelle O’Shea, Senior Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University This year’s FIFA men’s World Cup has cast a media spotlight on Qatar’s human rights record. The tournament also offered an opportunity to draw attention to the current protests in Iran surrounding the mistreatment of women. Qatar’s imbalance in rights and treatment of […]
Written by Farinaz Basmechi, Doctoral Student, Feminist and Gender Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa Iran’s attorney general recently indicated that the country’s morality police had been disbanded after protests calling for the country’s hijab mandate to be lifted. However, the government has not confirmed the attorney general’s remarks and local media have reported that he […]
Written by Evelyn Namakula Mayanja, Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, Carleton University A photograph recently circulated on social media purportedly showing two Chinese professors in Shanghai standing between a squad of police officers and students protesting the government’s zero-COVID policies. That morning, when I met my class for the course I teach on political repression, a […]
Written by Roja Fazaeli, Associate Professor Islamic Civilisation, Near & Middle Eastern Studies, Trinity College Dublin Iran’s Islamic Republic continues to violently suppress ongoing pro-democracy protests, which broke out in September in response to the killing of a young woman who had been arrested for not wearing a proper head covering. According to the NGO […]
Written by Amy Maguire, Associate Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong chose Human Rights Day to announce Magnitsky-style sanctions against 13 Russian and Iranian individuals and two entities, in response to egregious human rights abuses. Wong has described these sanctions as a means of holding human […]
Written by Sahar Maranlou, Lecturer, School of Law, University of Essex Iran’s execution of protester Mohsen Shekari is the first after a huge wave of unrest swept around the country in the autumn of 2022. Shekari was found guilty by a Iranian Revolutionary Court of “moharebeh” (enmity against God), news sources reported. Human rights groups […]
Written by Pardis Mahdavi, Provost and Executive Vice President, The University of Montana Until recently, most people outside of Iran had never heard of the country’s morality police, let alone followed their wider role in the region. But on Sept. 16, 2022, the death of Jina Mahsa Amini sparked widespread protests in the streets of […]