Iran: double-word value

Iran ordered a new trial over the killing of Iranian-Canadian photographer Zahra Kazemi who died 4 years ago.
She died under suspicious circumstances in Evinprison in Tehran.
The Iranian supreme court found while reviewing an appeal that the original court was not competent to deal with the case.
Kazemi was violently beaten in prison, after her arrest in 2003, but the judiciary initially claimed she died of a stroke.
Between her arrest and her admission to hospital where she died of a brain haemorrhage, Kazemi was interrogated by rival power centres -- judicial prosecutors, the police and then the intelligence ministry.




Thursday IRNA reported that Iran planned to launch a crackdown on rap music, complaining that the words used by rap artists were "obscene".
An official for evaluation of music at the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, said that there is nothing wrong with this type of music in itself, but due to the use of obscene words by its singers this music has been categorised as illegal.
Producing albums and holding concerts is illegal in Iran, but rap albums are widely available on the black markets.
Rap music has become increasingly popular amongst young urban males.


Iranian blogger Reza Valizadeh is arrested after he published details about the reported use of bomb-sniffing dogs in President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's security detail.
He wrote(farsi) in his blog that Ahmadinejad's security staff purchased four dogs in Germany for about $150,000.
He wrote that the dogs were used to sniff out possible explosives on November 14, before Ahmadinejad's appearance at an annual press exhibition. The sweep left exhibition visitors standing outside the venue for several hours.
He also said the price of the dogs and their appearance in public evoked surprise and criticism.
Some strict Shi'ite interpretations of the Koran regard dogs as unclean, and dog ownership is controversial in Shi'a-dominated Iran.
According to the website www.gooya.com he was the object of a complaint from the president's office. After his arrest his whereabouts are unknown.


In Iran there are childoffenders, still on death row.

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