Iran: new and improved

Today, the schools in Iran have started the new schoolyear .
The Education Ministry has also announced a ban on male teachers from teaching in all-girls schools.The new regulations will take effect from the beginning of the new academic year.


Iranian reformist journalist, Isa Saharkhiz, has called on Iran's journalists to use new ways to counter state crackdown on media.
He told Radio Farda that journalists should use means as the Internet and satellite TV programs to get their message out.
Saharkhiz said:
"In a country where they restrain freedom of expression and don't respect the law, there is no need for us to work in the legal framework they impose on us.If they don't let us have newspapers and magazines, if they send us to prison under false pretexts and send us to court or to jail then we should use new technologies."
August 28th Saharkhiz was sentenced to four years in jail and barred from working as a journalist for five years for "publishing lies."
He spoke follow the closure last week of four publications in Iran, including a leading reformist daily, "Shargh."



According to Human Rights Watch, Iran is theworld leader in Juvenile Executions.
Although Wednesday 20th, the execution from Sina Parvand was stopped in literally the last minute, Iran has earned the dubious distinction as the world leader in executing child offenders.
Convention on the Rights of the Child and The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibit the imposition of the death penalty for crimes committed before the age of 18. Iran has ratified both treaties.
Iran
Iran has executed more juvenile offenders in the last five years than any other nation.
Since 2001, Iran executed 14 juveniles, including at least one earlier this year and eight in 2005.
About 30 juvenile offenders are on death row in the country.
Five years ago, Iranian parliament has considered legislation that would amend the civil code to prohibit executions for crimes committed under the age of 18.


This year Iran uses an aeroplane to spot the crescent moon.

The crescent moon marks beginning of ramadan, the muslim fasting month.
Two years ago, a fatwa from supreme leader Ali Khamenei allowed the use of technical assistance to spot the moon, and many people started using telescopes.
The weather, light pollution and smog can make moon-spotting very difficult and last year some religious leaders in the city of Qom announced the end of Ramadan one day before the office of the supreme leader.


In Iran deathpenalty is in use. Also for child offenders.

Children are being hanged to death.
A child will be hanged to death.
Poster amnesty.nl