Barred From Stadiums at Home, an Iranian Activist Enters a New World in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — The envelope might have been kept securely in her bag, but she still checked it every few minutes, just to make sure that the most precious of things was still there. It was something she had always wished for, but until now had always been denied.

“I keep coming back and checking, checking, checking,” she said, pulling out a long card from a zip pocket. “It is like a treasure to me.”