Deaths and abuse in Iranian prisons

Two political prisoners have died from meningitis in Evin prison, Iran, after being arrested during the recent demonstrations. The announcement of their death coincided with allegations of abuse from several former inmates.

Mohsen Rouholamini and Amir Javadifar died of meningitis, which is believed to have been complicated by several injuries being left untreated. It is feared that there could be meningitis outbreaks in Evin as well as in other prisons, overcrowded with opposition demonstrators.

Former inmates have also alleged abusive treatment whilst they were detained. One prisoner claimed he had been "harrassed, insulted and abused". Isa Saharkhiz, a pro-reform journalist, has alleged that his ribs were broken and he was tortured during interrogation. Other detainees have claimed that they endured numerous beatings and were crammed into small cells, in temperatures topping 40C.

One prisoner said "I was beaten by batons and slapped thousands of times," and added that "they were forcing me to confess whatever they wanted,". Another said that ""I still have the screams and shouts of the prisoners in my ears, the prisoners whose legs and arms were broken,".

Rights campaigners are concerned that prisoners are being put under pressure to confess to involvement in a Western conspiracy to orchestrate the protests. It is believed that Kian Tajbakhsh, an American-Iranian scholar, is one of those being forced to make admissions.

Worldwide silence planned for Iran protest dead

Users of the social media site, twitter, have organised a two minute silence for protectors who were killed during the post-election demonstrations.

Twitter users have planned the silence to be observed at 11am or 6:30pm (local time) on Thursday 30th July. The organisers say that the silence is in memory of the 'martyrs' of the protests that have taken place across Iran. The silence has peen planned to coincide with the 40 day anniversary of the deaths of many of the protestors.

Organisers have chosen two periods of silence to maximise participation and have urged fellow twitter users to 'retweet' the event details.

This two minute silence comes over a month after protests first began following the country's disputed presidential elections. The demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands to the streets of Tehran and it is believe that 19 people were killed by government millitia.

Despite continued warnings from the Iranian authorities to end the 'illegal rallies', pro-reform demonstrators have retain a smaller presence on the streets of Tehran and other cities. The government has imposed heavy restrictions on foreign media; restricting their movement, banning them from covering demonstrations and expelling some international journalists. As a result, protestors used social media sites, including twitter, youtube and others, to send information out of Iran.

(More information about the silence can be found at http://silentwave.info/ )

41 journalists imprisoned in Iran, says RWB

Press freedom organisation, Reporters Without Borders, says that a month after Iran's disputed presidential election, 41 journalists are still being held in prisons.

Reporters without borders have expressed "great concern" about the growing repression and restrictions being placed on journalists and cyber-dissidents. They also announced the recent detention of five more journalists in the country and said that "Four of the latest five detained have been imprisoned in a secret place and like all the others their families have had no news of their condition,".

The organisation claim that Iran is "the world’s biggest prison for journalists" and that the country "is on the way to becoming the world’s most dangerous place for them to operate,".

Reporters without borders say that the recent arrests include photographer Majid Saidi, who has for several international news agencies and has reported from Afghanistan for TIME magazine. Also arrested were Tohid Bighi, a photographer for the website Mashroteh; blogger, Henghameh Shahidi; newspaper editor, Somaieh Nosrati and Said Matinpour, of the Azeri-language weekly Yarpagh.

Latest video from Iran

Reports say that further protests have taken place in Tehran on Saturday. This video is believed to show events today but as foreign media are heavily restricted from reporting on the demontrations this is impossible to verify.

In pictures - Global 'day of action' for Iran

Global protests to restore rights in Iran

Protests have taken place in more than 110 cities across the world in objection to recent human rights abuses in Iran.

The demonstrators say that Iranian authorities have committed several rights abuses in response to anti-government rallies. The protests are supported by human rights groups and international figures, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sean Penn.

Events have taken place across the globe with demonstrations in Paris, London, Washington DC and Beirut among others. Candle lit vigils have taken place in several cities, while in others demonstrators unraveled long green banners.

Reports say that demonstrations have also taken place in Tehran but riot police dispersed the crowds. Sources say that several hundred people gathered in Tehran's Azadi square and many people stood on their balconies shouting "death to the dictator" and messages of thanks to international supporters.

Protests began after last month's presidential elections in Iran saw the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Mir Hossien Mousavi, a pro-reform presidential candidate, and his supporters along with other reformist politicians claim widespread vote rigging.

Shanghai in push for two-child families

After 30 years of strictly imposing a 'one-child policy', the Chinese city of Shanghai is encouraging couples to have two children.

Through exemptions in the policy, couples who are both only children are exempt from the policy and are allowed two children.

Shanghai has seen a huge growth in their over 60 population, while the number of working-age residents dwindled. The US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies says that by 2050 the country will have 1.6 working adults for every retired resident, compared with 7.7 in 1979.

Official figures show that Shanghai has an over 60 population exceeding three million, amounting to 21.6% of all residents. The city, China's most populous, expects over a third of it's population to be retired by 2020.

Zhang Meixin, a spokesman from Shanghai's Municipal Population and Family Planning Commission said that, currently, on average each Chinese women has less than one child and added that "If all couples have children according to the policy, it would definitely help relieve pressure in the long term,".

Family planning officials are organising volunteers to deliver leaflets and make home visits to encourage only-children couples to have two children.

The Chinese government has enforced it's 'one-child poilcy' since 1979 to control the country's rapidly growing population. Families with more than one-child are denied access to healthcare and education and have benefits cut. They may also have to pay fines and can face discrimination in the workplace.

The policy has a number of exceptions which allow couples to have more than one child. Rural families and those belonging to certain ethnic minorities are exempt from the policy as are only-child couples. Some exceptions are also made where the first born is a girl or has disabilities.

China has been widely criticised for its harsh implementation of the policy which often uses forced abortions and sterilisations to prevent further births. The policy has also created a generation of 'Little Emperors', so-named because they have been spoilt with lavish gifts.