Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Iran

Iran Says 16 Criminals Hanged

(RFE/RL)

July 22, 2007 -- Iran says 12 men convicted for various offenses, including rape and kidnapping, were hanged today.

TEXT SIZE - +

July 22, 2007

Tehran's chief prosecutor, Said Mortazavi, said dozens of bandits, robbers, and rapists had been arrested in recent weeks.

Mortazavi said that "12 of these bandits were hanged on Sunday morning" in Tehran.

He added that four other convicts were executed last week.

State television aired footage of the handcuffed convicts just before being hanged.

Iran has one of the highest rates of execution in the world. According to Amnesty International, at least 124 people have been put to death this year.

(Reuters, AFP)

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