Watchdog

An activist for the cultural and language rights of ethnic Azeris in Iran, Vedud Asadi, has reportedly been arrested in the Iranian city of Rasht. He was married two weeks ago, and his family believes that he was arrested because of the nature of his wedding celebration.

Asadi's wife, Zahra Purasad, told RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service that her husband "was arrested for standing up for his national rights." According to Asadi's sister, no official reason has been given for his arrest. But she says that the police "first asked for the wedding party recording. So I assume they arrested Vedud for having a national party. We had no Persian songs in the wedding. There was a flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the cake and speeches about our ethnic and cultural rights."

Asadi was previously arrested after he participated in demonstrations in May 2006 at Ardebil University in northwestern Iran following a cartoon published by the official "Iran" newspaper depicting ethnic Azeris as cockroaches. He spent 3 1/2 months in prison without being charged.

A correspondent for Kazakhstan's "Liter" newspaper, Zarina Nokrabekova, says she was attacked by the head of a local medical facility because of an article she wrote that was critical of the clinic, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Nokrabekova says that Sagi Beysenbekov of the Emergency Ambulance Hospital in Taraz, in southern Kazakhstan, invited her to a hotel in late June under the pretext of participating in celebrations marking Media Day. "Without thinking about other things, I went to the place, where he tried to rape me," she said.

Beysenbekov rejects the accusations.

Nokrabekova says she immediately reported the incident to police, but was then pressured into rescinding her complaint. Later, she filed another complaint with the regional Prosecutor's Office.

Journalists in Taraz have sent an open letter to press freedom watchdogs about the case.