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Fariba Nawa

Fariba Nawa is an Istanbul-based journalist, speaker and author of "Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords and One Woman's Journey through Afghanistan."

Fariba Nawa is a journalist, speaker and author. She reports on various issues, including immigrant communities, human rights and the global drug trade. Her work has been published in numerous publications, including Women in the World/New York Times, Newsweek, The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Daily Beast, Sunday Times Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle and Mother Jones. She's the author of Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords and One Woman's Journey through Afghanistan, a mix of memoir and reportage focused on women's roles in the world's biggest narcotics business. 

A lively scene in a dimly lit room with a smiling woman in a patterned dress dancing among a group of people. There are several people seated at tables, some of whom are smoking hookahs. The atmosphere is warm and social.

Turkey has become a growing hub for Iranian businesses and cultural spaces

Culture

As Iranians living in Turkey think about the unrest and uncertainty their loved ones face back home, they’ve been gathering in an increasing number of spaces carved out for them in Istanbul — places to unwind and connect with others.

A woman wearing a face mask and black coat stands outside a building with a group of people, some talking, in a public space.

Iranians crossing the border to Turkey say they can’t stop thinking of the family they left behind

Protest
Three people are seated at a restaurant table eating various dishes, including a bowl of soup and pasta. One person is seen pulling long strands of pasta from the dish, while another is using a spoon and fork.

In search of a Turkish dish that feels like home

Food

From Turkey to France: Iranian women’s rights activist continues her work despite ongoing threats from Iranian regime

Women & Gender

A rapper finds peace and a channel for his activism through hip-hop and Islam

Sacred Nation

Episode 9: The Note

Lethal Dissent

Mohammad Shabani’s suicide note is analyzed by a handwriting expert and Fariba Nawa gets the results. She follows the ripple effects of the new information, and Mohammad’s best friend tries to make sense of what it means.

Episode 8: Officials

Lethal Dissent

Fariba Nawa is threatened. She steers her reporting to focus on impunity. The investigation into Iran’s hunt for dissidents goes to the United Nations, inside a Turkish parliamentary hearing, and to the US State Department to find out if anyone will intervene.

Episode 7: Verdict

Lethal Dissent

The Sağlam family’s kidnapping operation is caught in a police dragnet. The ensuing police investigation reveals an entire network of conspirators behind the Sağlams. When one conspirator is arrested and interrogated, he confesses. Fariba Nawa uses the confession to tell the story of Iran’s behind-the-scenes involvement.

Episode 6: Woman from the CIA

Lethal Dissent

Rezaie gets into the car with the Sağlams. But he already knew he was being tricked. His suspicions had begun long before he climbed into the car, back at the kebab restaurant when the Sağlams introduced him to an American woman. Fariba Nawa tries to untangle the story of the American woman, and finds out how Rezaie foiled the kidnapping plot against him.

Episode 5: Operatives

Lethal Dissent

There’s a convincing explanation for Mohammad Shabani’s death, but the evidence is incomplete. While Fariba Nawa waits for a crucial piece of evidence to be analyzed, she tries to find out how far Iran will go to silence dissidents. A Turkish court case exposes an Iranian kidnapping ring and offers an answer. Fariba finds a source to guide her through some of the inner workings of the secret operation.