On Dec. 27, Shahrvand daily ran an article that shocked ordinary Iranians and officials alike. The piece, titled “Living inside the grave,” reported on how a group of homeless people had taken shelter in a cemetery close to Shahriar, a town in Tehran province.
“It’s been a month since the cold led the homeless to settle in the big cemetery of Nasir Abad in the suburbs of Shahriar. Some are living inside the cemetery and the pre-prepared graves, and a few families are [residing] around the cemetery,” Shahrvand reported.