Newsline - 2 September 2009: Undemocratic and totalitarian governments use Western PR companies to improve their images.  Opium production in Afghanistan falls sharply, and three months after Iran's disputed elections, what happened to all the protesters?

Opium production is falling
Afghan opium production has fallen sharply according to a UN report. Poppy cultivation decreased by 22 percent last year and opium by 10 percent. Some say it's the result of UN forces working to eradicate opium production in the country, but sceptics aren't so sure.

Listen to an interview with UN spokesman Walter Kemp

The dictator with the smiling face
Undemocratic and totalitarian regimes have an image problem, but many Western PR companies are coming to the rescue. The PR companies 'sell' the regimes to the outside world by painting their leaders as compasionate statesmen. But how do they do it? And can the rest of the world be convinced that easily?

Listen to a report by Perro de Jong

Iranian protesters still in jail

Nearly three months after the presidential elections and the ensuing protests, many protesters are still in jail. With little information available, human rights groups are concerned that thousands of people may be detained under dire circumstances.

Listen to an interview with the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre

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