Heard in Iran - Basij Units in Elementary Schools

Basij Units in Elementary Schools
November 9 -- A leader of the Student Basij organization announced that thousands of Basij units will be formed in Iranian elementary schools. The units are being established to “promote revolutionary ideals among pupils,” the leader said. A Paris-based academic told Radio Farda that the units are likely an attempt by authorities to curb students from joining the opposition movement.  [listen in Farsi]

Iran Executes Kurdish Political Activist
November 11 -- Ehsan Fattahian, a 28-year-old Kurdish political activist who had been arrested by Iranian authorities, was executed in Sanadaj. Fattahian was accused of “acting against Iran's national security by taking up arms against the Islamic establishment.” [read in Farsi / read in English]

Police Consider Amputations to Curb Crime
November 10 -- Iran's deputy chief of police asserted that hand amputation would be an effective means of preventing 90 percent of robberies. A Tehran-based academic criticized such policies and told Radio Farda that they violated both Sharia and civil law. [read in Farsi]

Protester's Body Handed Over After 105 Days
November 9 -- After several months of unsuccessful searching for information about her husband, the body of Ali Hassapour, an accountant who participated in the post-election protests, was returned to his wife. “I’ve been searching everywhere for my husband for 105 days,” she told Radio Farda. “The authorities told me the body had been unidentified, but his ID card was in his pocket.” [listen in Farsi]

Iran Uprising: An Unrelenting Avalanche
November 9 -- Despite government warnings and the harsh crackdown on dissidents, the Iranian opposition has continued to hold protests. Will the government’s violent policies continue to be effective? How long will these policies last? A religious scholar, academic, and former minister discuss these questions in Radio Farda’s weekly roundtable, “Viewpoints.”  [read in Farsi]