Ershad Alijani

Paris

Journalist, Fact Checker, OSINT Expert at France 24

Journalist at Radio France Internationale (RFI)

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Articles

Women in Iran defy unwritten ban on riding motorcycles

2 weeks ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Ershad Alijani

Left: A female delivery rider in Iran documenting her daily routine on Instagram. Centre: An adventure motorcyclist sharing her travel experiences across Iran on Instagram. Right: A motorcycle training school for women in Iran. 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.
'We will shoot the thugs': Iranian police crack down on crime

4 weeks ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Ershad Alijani

“From now on, we will shoot the thugs,” promised Iran's notorious police chief, Ahmad-Reza Radan. Since then, state media have regularly shown videos of police officers arresting alleged “thugs” who have been shot, usually in one or both legs. “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.
Propaganda slip-up: Iran accidentally exposes sensitive missile data

1 month ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Ershad Alijani

Iranian state TV inadvertently revealed sensitive information in a propaganda report on May 4, 2025 showcasing the Islamic Republic’s new missile system, the "Qasem Basir". The version of the report broadcast on television featured footage from the missile’s camera with a black bar covering the bottom of the image. In the version posted online (seen here), the black bar was absent, revealing a figure labelled “D”, for drag coefficient (outlined in blue by FRANCE 24).
Propaganda slip-up: Iran accidentally exposes sensitive missile data

1 month ago | nz.news.yahoo.com | Ershad Alijani

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 oversight: one of the propaganda videos posted on social media inadvertently revealed on-screen data showing the missile’s drag coefficient, a sensitive piece of information that could make it easier for Iran’s enemies to block the missiles.
Raising the profile of Europe's far right

1 month ago | france24.com | Ershad Alijani

Our investigation, conducted as part of a project by the French-speaking public media association MFP (Médias Francophones Publics), spanned a five-month period, from November 4, 2024, the day before US President Donald Trump's re-election, to April 4, 2025. We examined more than 15,000 of his posts on X.
Elon Musk’s tweets (2/2): Raising the profile of Europe’s far right

1 month ago | ca.news.yahoo.com | Ershad Alijani

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 Observers, in collaboration with Belgium’s RTBF and France Info, used data-analysis techniques to categorise more than 15,000 of Musk's posts. The second article of a two-part investigation sheds light on his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and interactions with Europe's far right.
Elon Musk's tweets (1/2): A conduit for pro-Russian anti-Ukraine rhetoric

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Quang Pham |Nathan Gallo |Ershad Alijani

NowI once wondered whether law enforcement might stop Elon Musk’s power grab. About a month ago, I got my answer: no. On March 17th, the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency broke into the nonprofit, congressionally funded US Institute for Peace, according to court documents filed by the USIP’s …
un relais décomplexé du discours pro-russe contre l'Ukraine

1 month ago | france24.com | Ershad Alijani

Le 2 octobre 2023, plus d'un an avant la réélection de Donald Trump, Elon Musk partage sur son réseau X un photomontage qui moque le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky, en le représentant sous les traits d'un adolescent sur le point d'exploser de colère. "Quand ça fait cinq minutes que tu n'as pas demandé un milliard de dollars d'aide", peut-on lire sur le "meme", une photo détournée à des fins satiriques par des internautes.
le patron de X, porte-voix de l'extrême droite européenne

1 month ago | france24.com | Ershad Alijani

Notre investigation, menée dans le cadre d'un projet de l'Association des Médias Francophones Publics, couvre une période de cinq mois - du 4 novembre 2024, veille de l'élection de Donald Trump, au 4 avril 2025 - durant laquelle nous avons passé au crible environ 15 000 posts du patron de X. Pour analyser cette masse de publications, nous avons développé un programme informatique qui s'appuie sur l'intelligence artificielle de ChatGPT (voir notre encadré en fin d'article).
Vanishing reservoirs, empty taps: how Iran’s water crisis became a national emergency

Mar 14, 2025 | ca.news.yahoo.com | Ershad Alijani

These screenshots show Amir Kabir Dam on the Karaj river, the main source of water for 9 million citizens of the Iranian capital Tehran, has almost dried up. The image on the left was filmed in August 2024; the image on the right in February 2025. In recent days, images of vast, dried-up reservoirs near Tehran have circulated on social media. These dams supply water to more than nine million people in the Iranian capital, and their depletion has sparked widespread concern.