Did Iran's New Defense Minister Help Plan 1994 Buenos Aires Bombing?
September 2 -- Alberto Nisman, the prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina, says he is angry Iran's President named Ahmad Vahidi his new Defense Minister: "It was a grave matter that a government like Iran... is naming a person minister who has been wanted by the government of Argentina and whom Interpol has given a 'red' priority -- the highest level call for his arrest." [read in Farsi / read in English]
Ahmadinejad's Female Cabinet Nominees
September 1 -- On Radio Farda's women's magazine "The Other Voice," a Tehran-based journalist said President Ahmadinejad's choices to be the Iran's first female cabinet members since the 1979 revolution lack executive experience and have done nothing in the struggle for women's rights: "One of these nominees, a parliament member, supported the polygamy bill." [read in Farsi]
Labor Activist in Critical Condition
September 1 -- A lawyer representing Tehran Bus Company union chief Mansour Osanlou said his client's heart condition had worsened following a raid on his prison cell by guards who beat up his fellow inmates and destroyed Osanlou's personal belongings. The lawyer added that Osanlou is being held with drug addicts, thieves and murderers as a form of punishment. [read in Farsi]
Worker Protests Mount in Iran
August 31-- In Radio Farda's "Economy Magazine", one analyst said the failure of Ahmadinejad's government to deal with the problems faced by Iranian workers is behind a recent increase in labor protests; a second claimed that the lack of economic reform over the past four years and the political crisis are leading to rising unemployment. [read in Farsi]
Lawyer Jailed for "Doubting the Election" Released
August 29 -- Abdolfattah Soltani, a prominent lawyer who was arrested almost a week after Iran's disputed presidential election, told Radio Farda after his release: "I've been charged with 'doubting the election [results]'; no such charge exists in the law." Soltani was held for 72 days, of which he spent 14 in solitary confinement without being allowed to bathe. [read in Farsi]
Scholar Believes a Cultural Revolution is Coming
August 31 -- Religious scholar Mohammad Javad Akbarin said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's recent criticisms of students studying the humanities at Iranian universities, claiming that the humanities "promote doubt concerning basic religious principles," will result in more professors being expelled from universities, more students leaving Iran and intensified Islamicization of universities. Akbarin added, "Khamenei's short-term strategy will lead to his own fall in the long run." [listen in Farsi]