Heard in Iran This Week
on Radio Farda
(Washington, DC--November 1, 2007) Radio Farda covered the following stories and more:
* Fresh arrests of pro-democracy activists
* More student protests
* Intensified efforts to stamp out dissent
Radio Farda Reports on Student Demonstrations...
October 30 -- Radio Farda interviewed [text in Persian: http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2007/10/30/o2_students.html] two activists who participated in a student protest at Tehran's Alameh Tabatabai University. Rashid Esmaeeli said, "For the third time in recent weeks, the slogan 'Death to the Dictator' was chanted in Iran's universities," while Ali Nikunesbati said, "We will continue our protests until the detained students are released."
...Covers New Arrests...
* October 25 -- Radio Farda's "Evening Magazine" program interviewed [text in Persian: http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2007/10/25/f2_Razaghi.html / in English: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/10/B68FA1B8-9E61-4D9F-B6E1-D4DD470047AB.html] a colleague of Sohrab Razaghi, who was arrested by security forces in his home on October 24. Razaghi is a former professor at Alameh Tabatabai University professor who heads up a Tehran-based democracy promotion group.
* October 30 -- Radio Farda interviewed [audio in Persian: https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2007/10/31/20071031-150000-FRD-program.mp3] rights activist Saman Rasoulpour on the arrest of the father of a student who is himself under arrest in Sanandaj.
...Looks Into Crackdown on Bookshop-Cafes in Tehran...
October 30 -- Radio Farda spoke [text in Persian: http://www.radiofarda.com/Article/2007/10/30/f2_book-store-cofee-shop-Tehran.html / in English: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/10/1E10CB7B-2044-4C5D-96E1-BA00F748887C.html] to Tehran-based writer and publisher Hafez Mussavi, who said the government's recent closure of several bookshop-cafes is linked to a broader crackdown by Islamic authorities on all forms of dissent.
...Airs Comments on Labor Unionist Jail Sentences...
October 31 -- Radio Farda aired a report [audio in Persian: https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2007/10/31/20071031-033000-frd-program.mp3 / text in English: http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/10/A0DE78BB-8D6E-46CA-9D6F-519D0F0F9731.html] on the confirmation of jail sentences against labor activists Mansur Osanlu and Ebrahim Madadi. International Transport Workers' Federation spokesman Sam Dawson called the sentences "outrageous and utterly deplorable," while lawyer Ramazan Haj Mashadi said they were incompatible with justice and law.
...Continues Coverage of U.S. Sanctions.
* October 26 -- Radio Farda aired an interview [audio in Persian: https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2007/10/26/20071026-033000-FRD-program.mp3] with U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, who said, "If there is any unhappiness about the actions we have taken, that unhappiness should be directed at the Iranian government, because they brought this upon themselves."
* October 25 -- Radio Farda talked [audio in Persian: https://audio.rferl.org/ch21/2007/10/25/20071025-150000-FRD-program.mp3] to Iran experts in the U.S., France and Iran about the expected impact of the new sanctions. American University of Paris dean Shahin Fatemi said the sanctions would be felt widely throughout Iranian society, because of the unprecedented involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran's economy.
RFE/RL Analysis
Radio Farda Listeners React to New U.S. Sanctions
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/10/4B62FB7E-9CB6-4EEC-8164-3B2A6875ABD4.html
October 26 -- An article on the RFE/RL website examines "a wave of strong responses from Iranians across the political spectrum" to recently announced U.S. financial sanctions against Iran.
Diplomat's Removal Highlights Battle at the Top
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/10/2A7C0735-DDB8-417D-A2D2-23149276E6D5.html
October 29 -- RFE/RL analyzes the domestic political repercussions of Ali Larijani's departure as Iran's top nuclear negotiator.
For more on these and other stories about Iran, please visit:
http://www.radiofarda.com -- Radio Farda's Persian-language website
http://www.rferl.org/reports/iran-report/default.asp -- "RFE/RL Iran Report" weekly analysis
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarchive/country/iran.html -- RFE/RL English-language coverage of Iran
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Voice of America (VOA), is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week news service.