Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Iran

Execution Of Iranian Opposition Figure Reported

(RFE/RL)

PRAGUE, 17 February 2006 (RFE/RL) -- A report says Iranian opposition figure Hojat Zamani has been executed.

TEXT SIZE - +

February 17, 2006

Radio Farda says Zamani was executed on 7 February. Iranian officials informed his family on 16 February and said they will return the body shortly.

Zamani, a member of Iran's main armed opposition group, the Mujahedin Khalq (MKO), was sentenced to death after being convicted in the 1998 bombing of a Tehran court. The blast killed three people and injured more than 20.

The vice president of the Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights, Abdolkarim Lahdji, said Zamani was not given the chance to defend himself adequately.

"This person was arrested on charges of being involved in a bombing operation, but unfortunately it is certain that this young man did not have a fair trial and was not able to defend himself. Secondly, we are against the death penalty even if it was proven in a fair trial that he was involved in a terrorist operation."

Radio Farda reported that the case has raised concern that more political prisoners could be executed.

RFE/RL Iran Report

SUBSCRIBE For regular news and analysis on Iran by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Iran Report."

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (center) looks on as scientists unveil a fuel rod at the Tehran Research Reactor.

Iranian Nuke Still One-To-Three Years Away, Says Expert

Iran on announced on February 15 that it has installed its first domestically produced nuclear fuel rods in a reactor in Tehran. Tehran also announced that it activated a new generation of centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility. RFE/RL spoke with nuclear physicist Frank Barnaby about what the advances reveal regarding Iran's uranium enrichment abilities, which Western countries allege are aimed at secretly building a nuclear weapon. More

Iran has stepped up its pressure on activists using the Internet

Iranian Activists, Journalists Receive Threatening E-mails

A number of Iranian activists and journalists based inside and outside the country have told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda they have been threatened in anonymous e-mails. More

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More