Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Iran

Amnesty International Calls On Iran To Abolish Stoning

October 10, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Khan has called on Iran's government to abolish the practice of execution by stoning.

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October 10, 2006

The call was made today on the occasion of the fourth World Day Against the Death Penalty, which is organized by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and supported by the European Union.

Amnesty International says up to nine women and two men have been sentenced to death by stoning in Iran despite a moratorium.

The rights group calls it appalling that some Iranian authorities have attempted to revive the practice, which it describes as obscene, despite the moratorium on such killings that was reportedly imposed by the head of the judiciary in 2002.

In recent months, a group of human rights defenders in Iran, mostly women, have begun a campaign to put an end to death sentences by stoning.

Amnesty International has described stoning as the ultimate form of torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment.

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

Many Iranians have been claiming that their access to social networks and Internet-based e-mail sites has been blocked in recent days.

Iran Tightens Internet Control

Iranians are reporting that their access to Facebook and Internet-based e-mail sites like Gmail has been blocked, without any explanation from the government. Not even the strongest antifiltering programs have penetrated the firewall, they say. Some speculate the move is related to Iran's plan to launch a national internet, which might sever Iranians' ability to access the World Wide Web. More