This is Beirut - Freedom

From Freedom to Forced Veiling: The Broken Destiny of Iranian Women

Bélinda Ibrahim, 20/06 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Tehran Mahsa Amini Iran Women Freedom Rights

During the 1960s and 1970s, Iran underwent sweeping transformations. In a bid to modernize the nation, the Shah launched a series of reforms under the banner of the “White Revolution.” Women stood at the forefront of this societal shift: they gained the right to vote in 1963, entered universities, joined the civil service and were gradually ...

Between Freedom and Restrictions, Syrians Navigate New Reality

This is Beirut, 04/06 10:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus Freedom Syria

Syrian singer Ishtar halted concerts when Islamist-led forces seized power nearly six months ago. She's now back on stage, but lingering fears have reshaped Damascus's nightlife scene. Performing an international repertoire to a packed venue in the capital's Old City, she told AFP that "some bars and restaurants were closed and others had ...

Rushdie's Attacker Sentenced to 25 Years in US Prison

This is Beirut, 17/05 11:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Salman Rushdie US Iran Freedom Culture Writer

Hadi Matar, the American-Lebanese man who stabbed Salman Rushdie in 2022, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison in the United States. Rushdie, a symbol of freedom of expression, sustained serious injuries in the knife attack. Matar, 27, who grew up in the U.S., was found guilty in February of attempted murder and assault by a jury following ...

Cannes: A Festival Rooted in Defiance of Fascism

Bélinda Ibrahim, 16/05 17:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Cannes Film Festival Cinema Fascism Freedom France Cannes 2025

It was the late 1930s. The Venice Mostra, founded in 1932, was the world’s first international film festival. But by 1938, as global tensions mounted, it had turned into an ideological showcase for fascism. Under joint pressure from Hitler and Mussolini, the jury was compelled to award the festival’s top prize, the Mussolini Cup, to two ...

Boualem Sansal’s Speech for Freedom Published in Bookstores

This is Beirut, 04/04 17:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Literature Edition Freedom Algeria France Boualem Sansal culture

This speech, given for “the German Publishers and Booksellers Peace Prize” and published in Gallimard’s Tracts collection, was originally delivered in Frankfurt, Germany, in October 2011. "The absence of freedom is a pain that drives one mad over time. It reduces a man to his shadow and his dreams to nightmares," Boualem Sansal declares in ...

Iran: Narges Mohammadi, Freedom in Letters of Blood

This is Beirut, 02/01 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Human Rights Iran Freedom Nobel Prize Activist

Temporarily released for medical reasons since December 4, Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian human rights activist, granted a rare interview to Elle magazine, revealing her literary projects and her relentless struggles behind bars. Winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, Mohammadi has been imprisoned multiple times over the past 25 years for her stance ...

'Tyrants Are Great Only Because We Are on Our Knees'

David Sahyoun, 2024-12-11 18:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Syria Tyrants Fear Freedom Psychoanalysis

"Tyrants are great only because we are on our knees." This quote about individual and collective voluntary subjugation is attributed to Étienne de La Boétie, author of Discourse on Voluntary Servitude. Published in 1576, the text presents remarkably modern insights into the foundations of tyranny and the reasons for people's submission, ...

When the Media Is Accused of Complicity With Israel

Johnny Kortbawi, 2024-10-22 17:49 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

MTV Media Freedom

The attitude of the supporters of the pro-Iranian Moumanaa axis or so-called “axis of resistance” is puzzling. There's no doubt that the shock they are experiencing is overwhelming and hard to process. The ongoing war is undoubtedly pushing them to cast accusations in all directions, in a desperate attempt to restore some dignity or shift ...

Freedom