iran
Iran’s Only Female Olympic Medalist Defects to Europe
Iran’s sole female Olympic medalist has permanently left home for Europe.
In an Instagram post over the weekend, Kimia Alizadeh claimed that officials in the country have oppressed her along with millions of other women, exploiting her “whenever they saw fit.”
Iranian Woman Sets Herself on Fire Over Fear of Jail For Going to a Soccer Game
An Iranian woman, known as “Blue Girl,” who set herself on fire to allegedly protest the jail sentence she received for attempting to watch a football game, also suffered from bipolar disorder, according to her family.
Sahar Khodayari, 29, passed away at a hospital in Tehran on Sept. 9, a week after setting herself ablaze in front of a court in the Iranian capital.
TV Broadcaster in Iran Fired After Playing Uncensored Jackie Chan Sex Scene
An uncensored sex scene from a Jackie Chan film, “Shinjuku Incident” (2009), cost a regional head of the Islamic Republic of Iranian Broadcasting (IRIB) his job.
Despite tight censorship rules, the raunchy scene aired all over the country’s Kish Island on Monday, shocking viewers who are not even permitted to see men and women shake hands on TV.
Iranian Teen Arrested for Posting Videos of Herself Dancing on Instagram
Authorities in Iran have arrested an 18-year-old girl for posting videos of herself dancing without wearing a hijab on social media.
Aside from posting selfies and photos with her loved ones, gymnast Maedeh Hojabri regularly posts videos of herself dancing on her Instagram account which now has over 76,000 followers.
Indian Chess Star Boycotts Championship in Iran Because She Will Be Forced to Wear a Hijab
An Indian chess star has decided to pull out of an international championship event in Iran in protest against having to wear an Islamic headscarf.
Former world junior girls champion Soumya Swaminathan condemned the dress code at the upcoming Asian Nations Chess Cup as a violation of her human rights.
Wife of Princeton Student Imprisoned in Iran Asks for Trump’s Help
Princeton University graduate student Xiyue Wang has been held for almost 16 months inside an Iranian prison where he has become increasingly hopeless to the point of being suicidal, according to his wife Qu Hua.
Wang was reportedly researching Iran’s Qajar dynasty for his Ph.D. when he was arrested in August 2016 under the suspicion of spying for the United States.
Chinese-Born American Jailed in Iran for Allegedly Being a U.S. Spy
A Chinese-born American graduate student at Princeton University, who was arrested in Iran last year on allegations of espionage, has been convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Xiyue Wang was conducting research on the Qajar dynasty for his Ph.D. in August 2016 when he was arrested. The 37-year-old was said to be merely looking into the cultural history of Iran as his field of study of late 19th and 20th-century Eurasian history, according to The Guardian.
Iran Becomes the First Country to Completely Ban Pokémon Go
Iran is the first country to officially ban Pokémon Go for unspecified “security concerns.” The decision was made by the country’s High Council of Virtual Spaces, the body responsible for overseeing the nation’s online activity.
Iranian officials reportedly contacted Niantic Inc. developers before placing the nationwide ban last week. According to The Guardian, Pokémon Go may not have been banned had the game’s creators accommodated Iranian officials’ requests. Authorities wanted data servers transferred inside the country and certain locations in the game excluded, citing security reasons.