Heard In Iran: Iran and Gaza

January 5 -- What is Iran's involvement in Gaza and does it stand to benefit from the conflict? Radio Farda brought together experts from Israel, Iran, and England to answer these questions and more in the weekly roundtable, "Viewpoints" [read more in Persian].

January 4 -- Members of the Basij militia raided the home of Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi. In an interview with Radio Farda, Ebadi said the group attacked her in front of the police, who were "just watching" [listen in Persian]. Fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams said she is deeply concerned about the crackdown on Ebadi because, "if they're willing to attack one of the most well-known human rights defenders in Iran publicly, what are they going to do to other people?" [read more in English or Persian].

January 3 -- A German scholar tells Radio Farda that the government is increasingly relying on the Basij militia due to growing economic dissatisfaction among the Iranian people. Authorities "want to create an atmosphere of intimidation to prevent any possible civil riots," he said [listen to the full interview in Persian].

January 7 -- A student tells Radio Farda that, following a recent student protest at Shiraz University, 17 students were expelled from the school and four others were summoned to the Intelligence Ministry and have been detained ever since. "If they are not released soon, we will launch a hunger strike," he said [listen in Persian].

January 6 -- Radio Farda's weekly youth program, "Fresh Glance," explores the trials and tribulations of the gay community in Iran [read more in Persian].