My friend Thomas Erdbrink lives in Iran and subscribes to NRC Handelsblad. By the time the sealed newspaper lands on his doormat in Tehran, the Iranian authorities have already secretly inspected its contents.

They search for images deemed unsuitable for the eyes of the inhabitants of the Islamic Republic. These forbidden elements are then carefully dealt with using scissors, a ruler, and blue adhesive tape.

The photo is kept as intact as possible; only what is absolutely necessary is covered up. It is a form of genuine handicraft, leaving each censorship official room for a personal touch. How much of a bare leg may remain visible seems arbitrary, and the occasional stray genital detail is simply overlooked.

For the past year, however, the blue stickers have suddenly disappeared from the Dutch newspaper. For reasons that remain unclear, they are no longer being applied. What follows, then, is a tribute: the finest examples of this handmade censorship by the Iranian bureaucracy.