http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18727781

5 July 2012 Last updated at 13:17 ET

Iranian poll draws startling response to nuclear question

By Hossein Bastani
BBC Persian



An online opinion poll by an Iranian state television channel asking audiences about Iran's nuclear programme has sparked an outcry over its credibility.

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The question that was asked was: "Which way do you prefer to confront the unilateral sanctions of the West against Iran?"

In response, 63% of the respondents selected the option for "the suspension of uranium enrichment in exchange for gradual lifting of sanctions".

At the same time, 19% of the respondents favoured "closing the Strait of Hormuz as an act of retaliation", while another 18% selected the option for Iran to "resist unilateral sanctions in order to safeguard nuclear rights".

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Neda_Agha-Soltan



Footage of the death of Nedā Āghā-Soltān[11] (Persian: نِدا آقا سُلطان? - Nedā Āġā Soltān; January 23, 1983 – June 20, 2009) drew international attention after she was killed during the 2009 Iranian election protests.[12] Her death was captured on video by bystanders and broadcast over the Internet[13] and the video became a rallying point for the opposition.[13] It was described as "probably the most widely witnessed death in human history".[14]

Nedā ( ندا ) is a word used in Classic Persian and modern Persian[15] to mean "voice", "calling" (sometimes understood as a "divine message", but this is not the etymological sense of ندا ), and she has been referred to as the "voice of Iran".[16][17][18] Her death became iconic in the struggle of Iranian protesters against the disputed election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Iranian_protests

2011–2012 Iranian protests

Date 14 February 2011 – on going

The 2011 Iranian protests are a series of demonstrations across Iran which began on 14 February 2011, called "The Day of Rage".[7] The protests followed the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests and were influenced by other concurrent protests in the region.[8] To date the protests have resulted in at least three known deaths, with dozens more being hospitalized and hundreds arrested.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_election_protests

Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world[34] starting 13 June 2009. The protests were given several titles by their proponents including Green Revolution, Green Wave or Sea of Green, reflecting presidential candidate Mousavi's campaign color, and also Persian Awakening.[35] The creation of the Iranian Green Movement was developed during these protests. The events have also been nicknamed the "Twitter Revolution" because of the protesters' reliance on Twitter and other social-networking Internet sites to communicate with each other.[36] Islamic politician Ata'ollah Mohajerani blasted the election as "the end of the Islamic Republic".[37] In response to the protests, other groups rallied in Tehran to support Ahmadinejad.[38]



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Torture of prisoners

Opposition leaders have claimed that the prisoners have been tortured and raped in prison.[116] Opposition leaders, and world leaders condemned the abuse. Iran's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, however denied that prisoners were abused.[117]

Former chairman of Iranian parliament Mehdi Karroubi stated that male and female prisoners have been raped in the prison and their genitals were torn but it is not proved yet. He asked the head of the assembly to investigate the issue in a letter to the head of Assembly of Experts.[118] Iran's police chief, Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, acknowledged that the prisoners had been abused and raped.[119]

Additionally, several of the detained died while in prison. Authorities claimed that the deaths were caused by "pre-existing conditions", however, examinations of the bodies showed signs of torture, including broken bones, finger nails torn off, and rape.[120][121]

Iranian film maker Reza Allamehzadeh made a documentary about Azar Al-Kanan,[122] a prominent Iranian human rights activist and former political prisoner in Iran who became one of the victims of torture, sexual abuse, and finally, rape. The documentary was released after ex-chairman of Iranian parliament Mehdi Karroubi called for investigation of sexual abuse of protesters in prisons by Iranian police and the judicial system, both under the responsibility of the Supreme Leader. Karroubi's letter angered conservatives and the head of Iranian parliament Ali Larijani and senior cleric and representative of the supreme leader, Ahmad Khatami denied the reports of sexual abuse. Following the denials, on 16 August 2009, Fereshteh Ghazi, in an article in Rooz, wrote her story and described the torture and sexual violence in Iranian prison.[123]

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