Of the hundreds of political prisoners in Iranian jails, there is one group, probably the only one, who have been tried and imprisoned not for attending demonstrations and not for writing and speaking publicly against the government, but simply for being members of a persecuted faith: the Baha'is.
From the 14th-century satirical poet Obeyd Zakani to Forugh Farrokhzad, one of Iran's most famous 20th-century female poets, hundreds of writers, poets, historians, and thinkers are banned or censored.
Former British diplomat Charles Crawford says it's time to reorganize the confusing set of authorities and policies dealing with Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia.
Many Kyrgyz citizens feel betrayed by the government of President Kurmanbek Bakiev. Does this mean that there was no “revolution” in 2005? If we are returning to semi-authoritarianism, can we say that any revolution took place at all?
This year's Norouz strangely united fundamentalist Iranian Shi'a and Afghan Sunnis in rejecting century-old national traditions.
As Ankara has worked to improve relations with Iran, person-to-person bilateral contacts have blossomed in recent years. The experience, Abbas Djavadi writes, has been good for both sides.
If Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader of Ukraine's Crimean Tatars, was shocked or otherwise unpleasantly surprised to find himself in Brussels addressing less than two dozen people in a dusty room capable of accommodating some 150, he did not show it.
How did Mohammad Amin Valian, a 20-year-old student from Damghan, land in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) infamous Special Detention Center No. 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison?
As the OSCE's media freedom representative, Miklos Haraszti, comes to the end of his term, there has been intense speculation about who will replace him. The post is likely to fall to Dunja Mijatovic, whose role as a media regulator in postwar Bosnia will likely bring greater focus to the complex role of the media during elections and ethnic conflicts.
Does the slogan “united opposition” imply cooperation with everyone who opposes President Mikheil Saakashvili or should unity be based as well on some sort of positive principles? Many in the opposition cannot answer this question.
Millions Of Iraqis went to the polls in the country's second national poll, to vote for blocs that were less sectarian than in 2005. The question is whether and how Iraq's fragile, young democracy and national unity can take hold and grow strong enough to resist internal pressure and external interference.
After the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, a new wave of NGOs entered the fray to champion the cause of the downtrodden Afghan woman. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, it is apt to consider what progress has been made, and what challenges continue to hinder the efforts of well-intentioned parties.
Load more
