THIS WEEK IN IRAN

HEARD THIS WEEK IN IRAN ON RADIO FARDA June 26, 2008

Student Protestors Becoming Bolder
June 20 -- Has Iran's student movement entered a new, more daring phase in the wake of protests against a sex scandal at Zanjan University [text in Persian]? To answer that question, Radio Farda's weekly roundtable, "Viewpoints," featured three guests: a member of Iran's largest pro-reform student group, Hamid Yazdani, Paris-based journalist Sorajedin Mirdamadi, and Georgetown University professor Mehrdad Mashayekhi.

Female Student who Complained of Sexual Harassment Arrested
June 21 -- A student at Zanjan University who does not wish to be identified says the female student who complained of sexual harassment has been arrested and will most likely face charges of "morally corrupting" the university's Vice Chancellor [text in Persian].

Kurdish Journalist Sentenced to 11-Years in Prison
June 23 -- Journalist Mohammad-Sadigh Kaboudvand's lawyer says his client is being convicted for founding the Kurdistan Human Rights Organization: "Almost no media in Iran is covering this story... This is the most unjust and heaviest sentence I've ever seen among similar cases. He has committed no criminal act" [text in Persian].

"He Has Always Fought for the Rights of Workers"
June 25 -- Labor activist Mansour Osanlu's wife tells Radio Farda [audio in Persian / text in Persian]: "My kids and I have had a hard time--not only emotionally, but financially--for the past 3 years that my husband has not been with us... The fact that he is in the right, but has been wronged, convinces me to put up with this difficult situation. And the international and domestic support we get comforts us and makes us feel we are not alone."

EU Sanctions Will Hurt Economy
June 23 -- Paris-based economist Shahin Fatemi tells Radio Farda [audio in Persian] that closing Bank Melli Iran (Iran National Bank) and freezing its assets in Europe will aggravate Iran's financial problems, worsen the economy and increase inflation.

"One Million Signature Campaign" Member Sentenced to Prison
June 23 -- Iranian authorities have sentenced 20 year-old women's rights activist Hana Abdi to five years in a prison in West Azerbaijan province, far from Abdi's home in Kurdistan. Abdi's work, which aims to empower women in villages through education, includes building libraries and holding classes on the rights of women under Iran's constitution [text in Persian].

Iran's Suicide Rate Increases
June 21 -- Radio Farda's youth program, "Fresh Glance," interviews a young man about his attempted suicide and speaks with a sociologist who says the main reason for the increase in suicides among Iranian youths is despair about family and social life [audio in Persian].