Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Iran

U.S. Confirms Another Iranian Detention

(RFE/RL)

May 31, 2007 -- The U.S. State Department has confirmed that an U.S.-Iranian citizen missing in Iran for more than two weeks has been detained by Iranian authorities.

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May 31, 2007

State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said Washington is seeking consular access for Ali Shakeri -- a peace activist who was supposed to have left Iran to fly to Europe on May 13.

Shakeri is the third Iranian-American detained in Iran in recent weeks.

MORE: Coverage in Persian from Radio Farda.

The other two are Haleh Esfandiari, the head of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Institute, and Kian Tajbakhsh, a consultant with the Open Society Institute. Both have been charged with endangering Iranian national security through propaganda against the system and espionage for foreigners.

Authorities have meanwhile prevented Prague-based Radio Farda journalist Parnaz Azima from leaving the country, and announced a charge of acting against Iranian national security against her.

They are also blocking the departure of French-Iranian journalism student Mehrnoush Solouki.

(AP, AFP)

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