Ershad Alijani

‘It’s feminist and it’s badass’: the Iranian women taking up pole dancing and aerial dance Hanging from a rope, a harness or a hoop, Iranian women are flocking to gyms to perform aerial dance and sharing videos of their routines on social media. Others are quietly practising another form of...

Pole dancing in Iran is banned and punishable by prison. But behind closed doors, some women are turning it into a form of resistance.

@France24_en
gained access to rare footage from inside this underground movement.
www.france24.com/en/asia-paci...
#Iran #WomenLifeFreedom #PoleDance

Women in Iran defy unwritten ban on riding motorcycles For more than four decades, the Islamic regime in Iran has refused to issue motorcycle licences to women. But times are changing. More and more Iranian women are riding bikes, and not just for leisure...

Women in #Iran are breaking barriers on motorbikes, defying societal norms and challenging an unwritten ban. Discover how they’re reshaping gender roles and the road ahead. #WomenRiders #GenderEquality #Motorbikes observers.france24.com/en/asia-paci... @france24.com

6/ But Iranian women continue to sing—online, underground, and from overseas—raising their voices rather than allowing the regime to silence them.

#Iran #WomenLifeFreedom #RapIsNotACrime #MusicIsResistance

YouTube video by The France 24 Observers Iranian female singers face arrests and police summons • The Observers - France 24

5/ As reported by the @france24.com

@observers.france24.com
, female singers in Iran now risk arrest, interrogation or exile simply for using their voices.

📺 Watch the full report: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1KY...

4/ The crackdown fits a broader pattern. In February, traditional singer Hiwa Seyfizade was arrested mid-performance in Tehran for singing solo.

3/ The regime’s response was swift: the video and the rest of the brand’s content vanished, replaced by a message: “This page has been removed by the Iranian Cyber Police.”

2/ Women singing solo is banned in Iran. Rap, too, is outlawed—even though it’s the soundtrack of a generation defying repression.
In this case, both lines were crossed.

🧵 1/ Iranian police have shut down the Instagram page of “Khanoumi”, a cosmetics brand, after it posted this rap video to celebrate its 11th anniversary.

The reason? Women are rapping—and in #Iran, that’s forbidden. 🎥⤵️

'We will shoot the thugs': Iranian police crack down on crime “From now on, we will shoot the thugs,” promised Iran's notorious police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan, in an interview with the media in April 2025. Since then, state media have regularly shown videos of…

“We shoot the thugs,” said Iran’s police chief. Now officers are opening fire on suspects—and sharing the footage. But is state violence solving the crime crisis, or fuelling it? Our article uncovers the roots of Iran’s rising insecurity.
observers.france24.com/en/middle-ea...

It is an honour to have been part of the #BakuConnection project as a @france24.com journalist, which received the Special Award at the European Press Prize last night...

2/2: examines the X owner's social media posts, documenting how the billionaire is propagating anti-Ukraine sentiment and posting tweets in support of the European far right.

1/2: The @france24.com Observers collaborated with France Info and Belgium's RTBF to analyse the rhetoric of Elon Musk, one of Trump's closest advisers. This two-part investigation, conducted by the Médias Francophones Publics,

In Iran, power outages reveal the secret business of Chinese bitcoin farms Dozens of cities across Iran have faced widespread, frequent power outages since early January. The Minister of Energy Reza Ardekanian admitted that these outages might have been caused by “bitcoin fa...

سال ۲۰۲۱ درمیانه قطعی‌های برق گزارشی تحقیقی منتشر کردیم درباره شرکت‌های چینی که صاحب بیتکوین فارم‌های بزرگ برای استخراج بیت‌کوین در گوشه کنار ایران هستند... الان دوباره نگاهی سریع به اونها انداختم... هنوز همشون فعالن و برخی حتی شرکت های جدید دیگه ای هم تاسیس کردن observers.france24.com/en/middle-ea...

As far as I can see, the reaction of most Iranians to Trump's comparison between Iran and its Persian Gulf neighbours is "pain" It was once the most advanced country in the region, but now it can no longer provide its population with water and electricity; people see the one responsible: the regime.

Propaganda slip-up: Iran accidentally exposes sensitive missile data On May 4, 2025, Tehran announced it had tested a new ballistic missile system. Iranian state television swiftly began broadcasting propaganda videos showcasing the test. However, there was a minor ove...

Tehran announced it had tested a new ballistic missile system. State television began broadcasting propaganda videos However,there was a minor oversight:one of the propaganda videos inadvertently revealed on-screen data showing a sensitive piece of information
observers.france24.com/en/middle-ea...

Elon Musk’s tweets (2/2): Raising the profile of Europe’s far right On his social media platform X, Elon Musk posts hundreds of messages denigrating European values, which he deems too "woke", as part of his broader ideological offensive against Europe. The FRANCE 24…

On his social media platform X, Elon Musk posts hundreds of messages denigrating European values, which he deems too "woke", as part of his broader ideological offensive against Europe. www.france24.com/en/americas/...

Elon Musk's tweets (1/2): A conduit for pro-Russian anti-Ukraine rhetoric Elon Musk has become one of the most fervent critics of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky online, especially on X, the platform he owns. To better understand Musk’s messaging about the Ukrainia...

To mark the 100th day of US President Donald Trump’s second term, the FRANCE 24 Observers collaborated with France Info and Belgium's RTBF to analyse the rhetoric of Elon Musk, one of Trump's closest advisers. first part:
www.france24.com/en/americas/...

The Observers - Iranian female singers face arrests and police summons In Iran, at least seven women have recently been arrested or summoned for questioning by police. The Iranian regime does not allow women to sing in public – except to women-only audiences, with author...

The Iranian regime does not allow women to sing in public. However, more and more Iranian women are defying the ban, particularly since the Woman Life Freedom movement began. In recent weeks, they have been the target of a crackdown.

observers.france24.com/en/tv-shows/...

Deported Christian Iranian appeals to Trump for reprieve to avoid 'execution or life in prison' An Iranian woman who was among 299 migrants deported by the United States to Panama has appealed to President Donald Trump for a reprieve so she can avoid being sent back to Iran. As a Christian conve...

“It will be our execution order.”
The US has deported hundreds of asylum seekers—including women fleeing the Taliban and Iranian converts to Christianity—to Panama. Many fear for their lives. Read our full article ⬇️
observers.france24.com/en/americas/... @france24.com

These Iranian refugee seekers are among those deported to Panama. They do not know which hotel they are actually in, they think they are in the "Megapolis world", but they are in the "Decapolis" hotel and in this very room. x.com/i/status/189...

The son of Bashar Al Assad has published a video of himself on Telegram and X, he is in Moscow and right here: 55°44'41.1 "N 37°37'29.3 "E

No, Macron did not snub Modi at the Paris AI summit – here’s what really happened After the international AI summit in Paris, media outlets and social media accounts linked to the Russian government circulated a video claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron had snubbed India...

Media outlets and social media accounts linked to the Russian government circulated a video claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron had snubbed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, refusing to shake his hand.However,this claim is misleading @france24.com
observers.france24.com/en/france/20...

وقتی روزنامه‌نگار خبر را حقیقت‌یابی نمی‌کند-آن هم فیک‌نیوزی که توسط پروپاگاندای روسیه در حال انتشار است- از کاربر عادی که وقت ندارد هر چیزی که آنلاین دید را بررسی کند، چه انتظاری می‌شود داشت؟ مکرون و مودی قبلا با هم دست داده‌اند اساسا با هم و در کنار هم وارد سالن شدند،
x.com/i/status/188...

Très honorée que notre enquête « répression Iranienne, munitions françaises » fasse partie de la sélection officielle du FIGRA @ershad.bsky.social

FIGRA 2025: Our Investigation on French-Made Ammunition in Iran Nominated in Documentary Competition I am thrilled to announce that Repression in Iran: Ammunition Made in France, the investigation I conducted with my esteemed colleague Julie Dungelhoef, has been selected for the 32nd FIGRA Festiva…

I am thrilled to announce that "Repression in Iran, Ammunition Made in France", the investigation I conducted with my esteemed colleague @jdungelhoeff.bsky.social , has been selected for the 32nd FIGRA Festival in the documentary competition (under 40 minutes).

ershadalijani.com/2025/02/11/f...

این ادعا نادرسته. فکت‌چکرهای سوری که کاملا مستقل و حرفه‌ای هستن هم این مسیله رو تکذیب کردن. این فرد واقعا متین ابواحمده، اما برخلاف این ادعا از تندروهای تصفیه شده هیات تحریر الشام به حساب میاد.[این فرد اساسا عضو«حرکت نورالدین زنکی» بوده ] این فرد هیچ پستی در «دولت جدید» سوریه نگرفته.

From Sharia judge to minister: Syria’s new justice minister tied to public executions Two harrowing videos surfaced on social media in early January, exposing the dark past of Syria’s newly appointed Justice Minister Shadi Al-Wassi. Verified by FRANCE 24’s Observers, the footage docume...

Syria’s new Minister of Justice was a Sharia judge who oversaw public executions.
Geolocated videos show Shadi Al-Wassi reading death sentences in 2015 under Al-Nusra Front’s rule in Idlib. His appointment has sparked outrage.
observers.france24.com/en/middle-ea...

Document France 24 : en Syrie, les rescapés de l’enfer des geôles de Bachar al-Assad Les images des centres de détentions du régime de Bachar al-Assad, parvenues ces derniers jours, montrent l'ampleur des exactions commises par le dictateur syrien. Des milliers de détenus, libérés par...

Jamais je n’oublierai les regards de ces femmes et ces hommes sortis de l’enfer des geôles d’Assad en #Syrie.

Le trauma est si violent que certains en ont oublié qui ils sont.
Notre reportage tourné avec Sofia Amara et James André pour @France24

Foreign fighters and their jihadist ideologies: the shadow of extremism behind Syria’s new leader “Kafir” (“unbelievers”), “Rafida” (“rejecters of the true faith”) – these are some of the jihadist terms used by foreign Islamist factions aligned with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to denigrate Syria’s...

“Kafir” (“unbelievers”), “Rafida” (“rejecters of the true faith”) – these are some of the jihadist terms used by foreign Islamist factions aligned with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to denigrate Syria’s minority communities...
observers.france24.com/en/middle-ea...

The Observers - Iran: Tracking the violence in little-known Baluchistan conflict

In southeastern Iran, civilians find themselves caught in the crossfire between the Islamist-separatist group Jaish ul-Adl and Iran’s security forces.

observers.france24.com/en/tv-shows/...