Human rights protests mounted as Iranian President...

Human rights protests mounted as Iranian President Mohammed Khatami started the second day of his official visit to Austria. Amnesty International's Austrian branch spoke of a "dramatic" human rights situation in Iran.
"Despite significant reforms in recent years, students, writers, journalists and politically active people are still victims of human rights violations", said General Secretary Heinz Patzelt.
Under Iranian laws, people could be jailed for simply having a different opinion to the regime's. Political prisoners were often tortured to force them to confess. Political remarks were penalized with beatings or even execution, said Amnesty International.