 RFE/RL Iran Report 4/29/2010 9:07:59 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Iran. For more stories on Iran, please visit and bookmark our Iran page . |
 What If Sanctions On Iran Don't Work? As the United States lobbies for tougher sanctions against Iran to force it to halt its sensitive nuclear activities, there are doubts whether new sanctions can work -- and questions about what other options are open to Washington. More  Activists Oppose Iran Bid For Rights Committee A group of women's rights activists in Iran and worldwide has written an open letter to the United Nations opposing the Iranian government's bid for membership on the UN's Commission on the Status of Women. More  Rise Seen In Religious Persecution A new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom warns that religious freedom across the globe is increasingly being threatened and oppressed by governments in human rights "hot spots." More  Press Freedom Suffered More Setbacks In 2009, New Report Shows 2009 saw declines in press freedom across the globe, continuing an eight-year slide. That's according to a report by Freedom House, a Washington-based NGO. Last year, the report says, repressive governments continued to stamp out dissent, crimes against journalists went unpunished, and state attempts to control Internet use intensified. More  Iran Increases Pressure On Teachers Ahead of Teachers Day ran has increased pressure on teachers over their union and social activities ahead of Teachers Day on May 2, apparently in an effort to prevent protests. More  Corruption 'Taints Iran's Judiciary' While reformist criticism of Iran's judiciary has drawn international attention, conservative elements in Iran are also dissatisfied with the country's courts. More  The 'Boobquake' Continues: A Linguistic Analysis The "Boobquake" campaign quickly claimed some 100,000 members online and the interest of international press. But in Iran, even its supporters ran into some unexpected trouble: how does one say "Boobquake" in Persian? More  Ahmadinejad May Be Heading To New York According to UN diplomats who requested anonymity, the president of Iran, Mahmud Ahmadinejad, has applied for a U.S. visa to attend a high-level nuclear nonproliferation conference that begins at UN headquarters in New York City on Monday. More  Kurdish Activist Faces Iran Execution A Kurdish activist has been sentenced to death in Iran's northwestern city of Mahabad, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. More  Musavi, Karrubi Call for Fresh Protests On Anniversary Of Disputed Vote Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Musavi and Mehdi Karrubi have urged Iranians to take part in fresh protest demonstrations on June 12, the anniversary of the election that gave President Mahmud Ahmadinejad a second term. More  Is Iran's Green Movement In The Doldrums? TransConflict's Ian Bancroft says the conundrums of forgiveness and apology require a sustained debate – founded on mutual recognition, regardless of ethnicity – that involves often neglected and maligned voices. More  World Survives Boobquake And Brainquake If a senior Iranian cleric is to be believed, the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan today was a "boobquake," not an earthquake. More The "Blogger" website that enables users to create their own blogs for free has reportedly been filtered in Iran. More  Karrubi Says Opposition Will Protest On Election Anniversary Iranian cleric and opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi has reportedly said in an interview with the German weekly "Der Spiegel" that the opposition will launch fresh street demonstrations on June 12, the anniversary of last year's disputed presidential vote. More  From 'Boobquake' to 'Brainquake' A new campaign, titled "Brainquake," has been launched on Facebook, calling on women to show off their résumés, CVs, honors, prizes, and accomplishments. The goal is to get conservative Iranian leaders quaking with fear at "women's abilities to push for change and to thrive despite gender apartheid." More  'Boobquake' To Test Iranian Cleric's Claim Last week, an Iranian cleric linked earthquakes to women who fail to dress modestly and lead men astray. In response, a U.S. student has called on women around the world to dress immodestly -- show a little cleavage, or some short shorts -- to show their disapproval. More  A Morbid Wedding A video is making the rounds of a report aired on Iranian state television in which young Iranians have been encouraged to marry at the graves of the soldiers killed during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. More  Iran Prisoners Allege Torture To Clerics A group of detainees in Iranian prisons has addressed an open letter to the country's top clerics alleging that they and their families have been tortured. More |
