Iranians voted for a clerical bureaucrat with whom they have hardly anything in common because they want democracy – and believe it should take precedence over shari’a, according to a recent survey.
“Having lived with clerical rule for decades, Iranians …
Reports that Iran’s president-elect, Hassan Rohani spoke approvingly about concealing his nation’s nuclear program have raised fresh concerns about his moderate credentials. 
“Rohani is not an outsider and any gains by him do not mean the system is weak …
Afro-Cuban dissident Cuesta Morua (right) can’t understand why some American progressives who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. or identify with him today can support a regime that would never permit a similar movement, writes The Washington Post’s Harold …
Media freedom and human rights groups today denounced Ecuador’s new media law as an authoritarian measure designed to stifle dissent.
The Communications Law approved by the National Assembly on June 14, seriously undermines free speech, said Human Rights Watch, …
US Secretary of State John Kerry should press Vietnam’s government to free a leading human rights defender, when he attends the ASEAN conference later this month, says a broad coalition of NGOs.
In an open letter released today…
Iran’s newly-elected president is no reformist, say analysts, while human rights advocates recall that he welcomed a fatal crackdown on student protests by the hardline Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards in 1999.
“As Iranians responded to the victory of the …
Russia’s protest movement has all but disintegrated, hopes for a political opening have faded and high-profile liberals are in retreat. But President Vladimir Putin’s anti-corruption campaign “could be a double-edged sword that ultimately delegitimizes the regime,” setting the stage for …
Iran: As polls open today, Radio Farda, the BBC and other media outlets protest attempts to intimidate their Persian-language reporters. RFE/RL live-blogs the day’s activity here, and click here for continuously updated coverage of election-related issues, developments and …
President Vladimir Putin said today that Russia’s law on non-governmental organizations is more liberal than similar provisions in other countries, but said he may recommend changes to a controversial measure requiring foreign-funded NGOs to register as ‘foreign agents’, AFP …
While the outside world is focused on the implications of Iran’s presidential election for the regime’s nuclear program, for the average Iranian voter the key is its impact on her pocketbook, says a leading dissident.
“Iran’s industrial workers, teachers, nurses, …