BBCPERSIAN — broadcast
20261010 160000 UTC
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[00:00:55] Imposing social restrictions in Iran, judicial
[00:00:59] and law enforcement officials emphasized the implementation
[00:01:02] of hijab regulations, the ban on hookah and live
[00:01:06] music in cafes and restaurants.
[00:01:10] Execution of two more detainees from the December protests
[00:01:13] in Isfahan. Alireza Raeisi, 21, and
[00:01:17] Alireza Sepahi were hanged hours after their marriage
[00:01:20] ceremony.
[00:01:27] And dry wells in Afghanistan. A deadly
[00:01:31] threat to children. The story of a boy rescued after
[00:01:34] two days from a depth of 70 meters.
[00:01:37] Hello,
[00:01:40] and welcome to this week's program,
[00:01:43] "Reporters." In Iran, government agencies are reporting
[00:01:46] stricter enforcement of social restrictions.
[00:01:49] The judiciary has warned that not
[00:01:53] observing compulsory hijab is a crime and will be
[00:01:57] dealt with. The head of Tehran's public places police
[00:02:00] also stated that providing hookahs and live music in
[00:02:04] cafes and restaurants is forbidden and action will
[00:02:07] be taken against businesses that do not comply
[00:02:10] with this ban. More details in a report
[00:02:13] by Farin Asemi.
[00:02:15] A new round of crackdowns on women who do not
[00:02:19] comply with compulsory hijab. The Iranian judiciary
[00:02:22] once again speaks of banning freedom of dress,
[00:02:25] combating what it calls "improper hijab." The
[00:02:28] issue, according
[00:02:34] to the Islamic Penal Code, is a clear crime, and
[00:02:37] officers are obliged, upon encountering it, to refer
[00:02:41] it to the judicial authority, and the judicial authority
[00:02:45] will investigate. These are the statements of the
[00:02:48] head of the judiciary from last week, with the help of civil society organizations,
[00:02:52] so to speak, with the help of those
[00:02:55] who have been on the field for the past
[00:02:59] 7 months. With their help, we should
[00:03:02] be sensitive to our duty, both our inherent
[00:03:06] duty and our human duty, our legal
[00:03:09] duty regarding corruption
[00:03:12] in various fields, and take action to
[00:03:16] prevent corruption. What is really
[00:03:19] necessary today is to stop
[00:03:22] this situation. Surely, the president
[00:03:26] also agrees with this issue. They are
[00:03:29] against this nudity.
[00:03:31] Just
[00:03:34] today, the head of Tehran's public places police
[00:03:37] said that providing hookahs and live music in cafes
[00:03:41] is also forbidden, and
[00:03:41] violators will be dealt with.
[00:03:45] In recent years, some cafes and restaurants have
[00:03:49] featured DJs and singers. An entertainment that might
[00:03:53] be very simple and natural in many countries around
[00:03:56] the world, but is now denied to Tehran residents.
[00:04:02] For years, various government officials have considered
[00:04:06] the attire of some women to be influenced by the
[00:04:09] West and, according to them, the enemy, and
[00:04:13] therefore do not grant them the right to choose.
[00:04:16] See how the enemy
[00:04:20] has been able to promote
[00:04:22] that Western way of life in our society.
[00:04:26] Look at the issue of hijab itself, which
[00:04:30] now, due to the
[00:04:32] war, we cannot properly enter
[00:04:35] this front as we should, but in
[00:04:39] schools, the effects
[00:04:41] of this will be evident.
[00:04:45] This means the task has become much harder
[00:04:49] than in 1981, when we started.
[00:04:52] I want to see if we can actually take these issues
[00:04:56] seriously, these talks that not all hardliners agree with.
[00:05:00] I think we need to find examples for it, like what
[00:05:04] is the Islamic Republic going to do regarding the
[00:05:07] media, what is it going to do regarding hijab,
[00:05:11] what is it going to do regarding citizens' rights.
[00:05:15] I agree that the main problem
[00:05:18] now is high prices, economic
[00:05:21] issues, and people's livelihoods, but that
[00:05:25] is also a part of governance. And in the middle of
[00:05:28] this war, I think it's time to discuss
[00:05:32] that when there's a war, they say, "Leave it for now
[00:05:36] because it's a war, let's not do anything else."
[00:05:39] But they themselves do everything else in the
[00:05:43] name of this war, they do whatever they want.
[00:05:46] When others want to do something or discuss,
[00:05:50] they say, "Later." Hossein Shariatmadari, the managing
[00:05:53] editor of Kayhan newspaper, in a letter to the heads
[00:05:56] of the three branches of government, accused
[00:06:00] them of weakness in the face of improper hijab and
[00:06:04] without maintaining the system, many critics
[00:06:06] of Masoud Pezeshkian, the president, criticize
[00:06:10] him for preventing the
[00:06:14] implementation of the law known as the "Chastity and
[00:06:17] Hijab Law." One of the most controversial
[00:06:21] laws of the past few years, which was not
[00:06:24] approved and implemented by the Supreme National
[00:06:28] Security Council at Mr. Pezeshkian's recommendation.
[00:06:31] What various officials agree
[00:06:34] on is the emphasis on adherence.
[00:06:38] Although apparently there are disagreements about
[00:06:41] the timing and method of implementing this policy,
[00:06:45] many women, four years after the "Woman, Life,
[00:06:48] Freedom" movement, say that they will not
[00:06:51] go back and, despite all threats and restrictions,
[00:06:55] they will not wear the hijab. Farin
[00:06:58] Hashemi, BBC. According to the Iranian
[00:07:02] judiciary, Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raeisi,
[00:07:05] detainees from the December protests in Isfahan,
[00:07:09] were executed last Monday morning in
[00:07:14] Dastgerd Prison in that city.
[00:07:17] These two were among those convicted in the
[00:07:21] case known as Isfahan's Alikhani Square,
[00:07:24] where, according to Iranian security
[00:07:28] and judicial officials,
[00:07:30] four security forces were killed by protesters.
[00:07:33] So far, seven people
[00:07:36] have been executed in connection with this case, and at
[00:07:39] least seven other defendants face the risk
[00:07:42] of execution. More details in a report
[00:07:46] by Maryam Afshang. This morning
[00:07:50] when your neighborhoods were playing this song,
[00:07:54] a life was taken, a life was taken.
[00:07:57] Alireza Raeisi, my nephew, was executed
[00:08:01] this morning. Today, two more
[00:08:04] detainees from the December protests were
[00:08:07] executed. Alireza Sepahi and Alireza
[00:08:11] Raeisi. The Iranian government says that
[00:08:14] during a clash in Alikhani Square, Malek
[00:08:18] Shahr, Isfahan, on January
[00:08:21] 8th, four members of the Basij and
[00:08:24] police forces were killed. Mizan News Agency,
[00:08:28] affiliated with the judiciary, named Alireza Sepahi
[00:08:32] as the main defendant in this case. Mr.
[00:08:35] Sepahi, I am currently with the father
[00:08:38] of the young lady. He has authorized me to perform the marriage
[00:08:51] ceremony for a permanent marriage with a known
[00:08:55] dowry, as you had previously stated, and
[00:08:59] to officially and legally make her the bride
[00:09:02] of your family and the wife of Mr.
[00:09:05] Alireza Sepahi. Now, do you, on behalf
[00:09:09] of Mr. Alireza Sepahi, your son, authorize
[00:09:12] me to marry her to him with that
[00:09:16] same dowry? Since last night,
[00:09:20] the marriage ceremony of Alireza Sepahi
[00:09:23] and Mahshad Keshavarz, another defendant in
[00:09:26] the same case, was performed with the
[00:09:30] representation of their fathers. This ceremony
[00:09:34] was performed before Mr. Sepahi's transfer
[00:09:37] to solitary confinement. According to reports,
[00:09:41] Mahshad Keshavarz, who was previously sentenced
[00:09:45] to 5 years in prison, is currently serving
[00:09:48] her sentence. Human rights activists say
[00:09:52] this marriage was the last attempt to
[00:09:56] prevent the execution of Mr. Sepahi.
[00:10:00] Alireza Sepahi was arrested at his
[00:10:03] home in December 2022 and is
[00:10:07] one of at least 14 defendants who
[00:10:10] were sentenced to death in connection
[00:10:14] with the deaths of four law enforcement
[00:10:17] officers in Alikhani Square. These images
[00:10:21] show people protesting in Alikhani Square,
[00:10:25] Isfahan, on July 27th. People who
[00:10:28] came to the streets to prevent the execution
[00:10:32] of three protesters from the December protests.
[00:10:36] The UN Special Rapporteur on Iran wrote in a
[00:10:40] tweet that this case has been accompanied
[00:10:44] by serious concerns about the treatment of
[00:10:47] the defendants and fair trial. According
[00:10:51] to reports, Alireza Sepahi's mother was
[00:10:55] tortured in front of him, and he and
[00:10:59] his cousin were beaten and tortured
[00:11:02] in front of their families. The Isfahan
[00:11:06] Revolutionary Court sentenced Alireza to death,
[00:11:09] and his execution was supposed to take
[00:11:13] place at the same time as two other
[00:11:17] men that night and in public.
[00:11:20] However, shortly before the scheduled time for
[00:11:24] his execution, he suffered a heart attack
[00:11:27] and was transferred to the hospital.
[00:11:31] Only a few days later, he
[00:11:34] was discharged from the hospital and returned
[00:11:37] to prison, where he spent every day
[00:11:41] in fear of execution, until his time also
[00:11:44] came. On September 2nd, his appeal
[00:11:47] was accepted, and his case was referred
[00:11:51] for reconsideration. However, according to reports,
[00:11:55] the Isfahan Revolutionary Court rejected this
[00:11:59] request without re-examining the case.
[00:12:02] Of course, the judiciary denied the news
[00:12:05] of Alireza Sepahi's heart attack today.
[00:12:09] Another source also separately confirmed
[00:12:12] in an interview with the BBC that these
[00:12:15] two were tortured in front of their
[00:12:19] families for forced confessions. Also,
[00:12:22] their mothers were tortured in front
[00:12:25] of their eyes. Previously, the death
[00:12:29] sentences of five other convicts in this
[00:12:33] case were carried out, including Abolfazl
[00:12:36] Sepahi, Alireza Sepahi's cousin.
[00:12:40] Seven other defendants are also at risk
[00:12:43] of execution. The execution of Alireza Sepahi
[00:12:47] and Alireza Raeisi once again highlights
[00:12:50] concerns about the observance of the
[00:12:53] right to a fair
[00:12:55] trial in cases leading
[00:12:59] to execution, especially in circumstances where
[00:13:02] serious questions are raised about the process
[00:13:06] of investigation and the possibility of effective
[00:13:09] defense for the accused. The continued implementation
[00:13:13] of death sentences in Iran, particularly
[00:13:17] in political and security cases, has increased
[00:13:21] concerns about the widespread use of the
[00:13:25] death penalty and its normalization. Human
[00:13:29] rights activists constantly emphasize the need
[00:13:33] for transparency and independent investigation,
[00:13:36] and consider guaranteeing the rights of the
[00:13:39] accused at all stages of the proceedings to be
[00:13:43] more necessary than ever. Maryam Afshang, BBC.
[00:13:47] Starlink satellite internet. Since its launch
[00:13:50] five years ago, it has attracted the attention
[00:13:54] of many internet users in Iran as an
[00:13:57] alternative solution for filtered internet inside
[00:14:01] Iran, especially with the widespread and prolonged
[00:14:04] outages last winter and spring, attention
[00:14:08] to satellite internet also increased. Now,
[00:14:12] the Iranian government has protested to Norway
[00:14:15] as to why it is not preventing Starlink's
[00:14:19] activities in Iran. Hadi Nili, the presenter
[00:14:23] of our "Click" program,
[00:14:25] explains about the technology.
[00:14:28] Lately, there's been a lot of talk
[00:14:32] about Starlink in Iran again. Some people are talking
[00:14:36] about the possibility of mobile phones connecting
[00:14:39] to Starlink satellite internet, especially
[00:14:42] in the southern regions of Iran. Also, government
[00:14:46] officials have made conflicting statements about cutting
[00:14:49] off Starlink for users in Iran. So what's
[00:14:52] the story? Some Iranian users have written on
[00:14:56] social media that some people in the southern
[00:15:00] and southeastern regions of Iran have seen
[00:15:03] the option to connect to Starlink satellite
[00:15:07] internet on their phones. To the extent that
[00:15:10] some media outlets have also reported this.
[00:15:14] According to reports from local sources,
[00:15:18] in some parts of Iran, especially border
[00:15:21] cities, the Starlink satellite internet option
[00:15:25] has been activated on mobile phones,
[00:15:28] although connection to it
[00:15:30] is not yet established.
[00:15:33] But is it really new news? We've
[00:15:37] talked about it here on Click before.
[00:15:40] Although this technology for direct satellite
[00:15:44] communication is very exciting, especially
[00:15:47] for those whose internet is constantly being cut
[00:15:50] off, we are still at the very beginning
[00:15:54] of this technology, and it has many
[00:15:58] limitations. The number of users it can
[00:16:01] cover at the moment is probably much
[00:16:05] more limited than
[00:16:07] Starlink. It is possible that a very limited
[00:16:11] number of people may have access to
[00:16:15] this technology, but again, the key point
[00:16:18] is that we should not have the idea
[00:16:22] that everyone in Iran will be directly connecting
[00:16:25] to the internet through their phones from tomorrow
[00:16:28] onwards. This technology will come, and the
[00:16:31] difficult part is that people should not fall
[00:16:35] victim to these scams. For example, a message
[00:16:38] might appear in these Telegram groups saying
[00:16:42] that if you install a certain application
[00:16:45] on your phone, you can immediately connect
[00:16:49] directly to satellite internet and have
[00:16:53] very good bandwidth. Unfortunately, many people
[00:16:56] might fall for such messages, install the
[00:17:00] application, and then either their wallets
[00:17:03] will be emptied or their bank accounts
[00:17:07] will be misused and they will suffer harm.
[00:17:10] This is a very important point that
[00:17:13] our dear compatriots should pay attention
[00:17:17] to. Now, this is perhaps better
[00:17:20] to call rumors, for now, dreams about
[00:17:24] connecting mobile phones to satellite internet
[00:17:27] in Iran. But what do government officials
[00:17:31] say? The Deputy Minister of Communications
[00:17:35] said in a meeting that with Starlink,
[00:17:38] the government's hand in governing cyberspace,
[00:17:42] including filtering and widespread internet outages,
[00:17:46] will be tied, and our governance in cyberspace
[00:17:49] will no longer be based on our network,
[00:17:53] but on Starlink. Well-wishers say that
[00:17:57] this phenomenon is the final nail in the
[00:18:01] coffin of the Islamic Republic's governance.
[00:18:05] There will be nothing left after that.
[00:18:08] Then, the Secretary of the Supreme Council
[00:18:12] of Cyberspace, Ajazi, replied that no, we
[00:18:15] have been able to disable Starlink terminals
[00:18:19] in Iran. Iran was almost the first
[00:18:22] country that was able to completely disable
[00:18:26] all Starlink terminals and we were one
[00:18:29] of the pioneers in that
[00:18:33] field. But what really happened? It
[00:18:36] is estimated that there are at least 50,000
[00:18:40] Starlink terminals in Iran. There is no
[00:18:44] evidence that the Iranian government has been able
[00:18:47] to disable a significant number of these, but
[00:18:50] there are reports of investigations into the
[00:18:53] owners of these devices and the arrest of
[00:18:57] some of these individuals. However, experts have
[00:19:01] said that they probably did not observe security
[00:19:04] points well. The government has tried very hard
[00:19:08] to actually cut this off, but it has
[00:19:12] not been successful. Now, by disrupting
[00:19:15] GPS signals and similar actions, they have
[00:19:18] tried to do this and to some extent
[00:19:22] create disruptions, but they have never been
[00:19:26] able to successfully prevent these Starlink
[00:19:29] terminals from working due to their special
[00:19:33] technology, which can provide a bandwidth
[00:20:07] of about 100 to 100
[00:20:10] plus megabits per second to users
[00:20:14] inside Iran, and those who have access
[00:20:18] to this technology should consider these
[00:20:21] points so that, God forbid, no problems
[00:20:25] arise for them. What, for example?
[00:20:28] To ensure the anonymity of your identity when
[00:20:32] using Starlink, because this device is smuggled
[00:20:36] and illegal, it
[00:20:50] خیلی از عنصرهایی که ما رو تشکیل میدن در ستاره های
[00:20:54] منفجر شده ساخته شدن و نوترینو ها
[00:20:57] عامل انفجار ستاره ها هستند. انفجارهایی که
[00:21:00] عناصری رو در کیهان پخش می کنند که در نهایت بدن من و
[00:21:04] شما رو می سازند. ولی رصدخانه قالب یخ
[00:21:08] برای آشکار سازی نوترینوهای بسیار پر
[00:21:11] is important to obtain it from reliable
[00:21:14] sources. Turn off your Starlink terminal
[00:21:18] when you don't need
[00:21:46] it. Absolutely do not use Starlink internet to access apps and
[00:21:55] websites inside Iran, because they can detect
[00:21:58] that you are using Starlink internet and
[00:22:02] track you. Do not use the Starlink
[00:22:06] device's own Wi-Fi. Connect a regular
[00:22:10] router to Starlink with a cable and
[00:22:14] get your Wi-Fi from it. But beyond
[00:22:17] these police actions, the Iranian government,
[00:22:20] ever since Starlink began to expand
[00:22:23] three years ago, has been seeking to
[00:22:27] restrict Starlink satellite internet in Iran in
[00:22:31] international forums. This includes complaining
[00:22:34] to the International Telecommunication Union,
[00:22:38] after which the board of directors of this
[00:22:42] intergovernmental body asked Starlink to disable
[00:22:45] unauthorized terminals in Iran. Recently, the
[00:22:49] Iranian government also protested to Norway
[00:22:53] why this request has not been implemented.
[00:22:57] Now, why Norway? Because Starlink has
[00:22:59] officially registered a
[00:23:03] part of its telecommunication facilities through Norway
[00:23:06] and the rest through
[00:23:09] the United States, which recently had
[00:23:12] a 40-day war with Iran, and tensions
[00:23:15] between Iran and the United States
[00:23:19] are currently high.
[00:24:20] Of course, civil groups and internet
[00:24:24] freedom activists have protested this
[00:24:27] decision by the International Telecommunication
[00:24:31] Union, saying that governments alone should
[00:24:35] not have the right to express their
[00:24:38] opinions on this matter. It seems
[00:24:41] that the story of Iranians with
[00:24:44] Starlink will continue for a long time.
[00:24:48] The Nobel Prize in Physics for
[00:24:52] research on a subatomic particle called the
[00:24:55] neutrino was awarded to Francis Halzen,
[00:24:58] a Belgian-American physicist. The Royal Swedish
[00:25:02] Academy of Sciences recognized him for
[00:25:05] his important role in the IceCube
[00:25:08] neutrino observatory at the South
[00:25:12] Pole. More details in a report by
[00:25:16] Behrang Tajdin. A unique observatory
[00:26:21] without a telescope or a radio dish.
[00:26:24] Here at the South Pole, they have
[00:26:27] drilled 86 holes up to 2 kilometers
[00:26:31] deep into the
[00:27:04] ice, and inserted
[00:27:22] these spherical sensors into them to obtain
[00:27:25] a new image of the universe by observing
[00:27:28] a subatomic particle. A particle called the
[00:27:32] neutrino, which is elusive to observation,
[00:27:36] and now the mastermind of the IceCube
[00:27:40] observatory has achieved the greatest honor
[00:27:44] in the world of science. The Royal
[00:27:47] Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided
[00:28:48] to award the 2026 Nobel Prize
[00:28:51] in Physics to Francis Halzen for his
[00:28:54] key role in the IceCube neutrino
[00:28:58] observatory and his discovery of high-energy
[00:29:01] neutrinos of astrophysical origin. A prize
[00:29:04] for pursuing science for the sake
[00:29:08] of science. This is fundamental research
[00:29:12] without a specific goal. Research born
[00:29:15] out of curiosity. It's true that
[00:29:19] it's very important, but we don't know
[00:29:22] where it will
[00:29:24] lead us.
[00:29:57] Every second, about 100,000
[00:30:00] billion neutrinos pass through each
[00:30:03] of our bodies
[00:30:05] without us feeling
[00:30:12] them. The main source of their
[00:30:15] production are
[00:30:19] stars like our sun, which also
[00:30:22] produce neutrinos
[00:30:26] during energy production in a process called
[00:30:29] fusion, where the nuclei of four
[00:30:33] hydrogen atoms fuse together to create
[00:30:36] one helium nucleus plus energy.
[00:30:40] Many of the elements that make
[00:30:44] us up were formed in exploded
[00:30:48] stars, and neutrinos are the cause
[00:30:51] of star explosions. Explosions that scatter
[00:30:55] elements throughout the universe, which ultimately
[00:30:58] form our bodies. But the IceCube