An Iranian news website is reporting that blogger Hossein “Hoder” Derakhshan has been sentenced to more than 19 years in prison. Mashregh News says that he was convicted on charges of cooperating with hostile countries, spreading anti-government propaganda, promotion of counter-revolutionary groups and insulting Islam. Derakhshan has been in prison since 2008. The report says that he can appeal against the sentence.
Following reports this week that the prosecution is seeking a death sentence for Hossein Derakhshan, the “blogfather”, his friend Sandrine Murcia considers why he decided to return to Iran
“I’m so happy with my work. I learnt so much in the past year; it opened up for me so many new ways of thinking. I can’t wait to use all this in my writing.”
This is what a busy, excited Hossein Derakhshan told me in September 2008 about his MA in Media Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London. During his time at SOAS, Hossein started to reconsider his role as a blogger, and began thinking about what to do next. Hossein loves blogging as much as he loves discussions and debates, but he could not see himself just blogging for the rest of his life. It had certainly been a valuable tool in engaging with others and sharing thoughts, but it was the purpose, not the act of blogging in itself, that most interested him.
Hossein was also eager to go back to Iran. He disliked being away from his family and from his native Tehran — the city he loves so much — and said he did not want to be “disconnected” from the real life of the Iranian people. He wanted to enjoy Nooroz (Iranian New Year) at home; he wanted to be in Tehran for the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution; he wanted to be in Iran for the 2010 presidential elections.
So, as the end of his time at SOAS approached, Hossein decided to go back to Iran for a year or so. He knew he was going to be questioned by the police; he knew he would probably be arrested because of his writings and his trips to Israel. But he believed the period running up to the election would be a time of greater exchange and discussion across Iran. He thought that officials might be less inclined to treat him unfairly, and that if he were detained, he would at least have the opportunity to publicly explain himself, his writings and his actions.
Hossein Derakhshan returned to Tehran on 17 October 2008. Two weeks later, he was arrested at his parents’ house and has been detained in Evin prison ever since.
All his rationales about the trip were proved wrong. Not only was he arrested, he was then given no chance to explain himself. Hossein never thought he could be detained for so long.
Meanwhile, his family and friends were given strictly no news about his whereabouts and whether he was still alive. After two months in the dark, an official press communication in December 2008 confirmed Hossein’s arrest and detention in Evin prison. For another eight months, the Derakhshan family was denied further information. They were told in July 2009 that Hossein was finally out of solitary confinement awaiting trial. There were no indications about what charges he would face, and the family were not given any access to him.
Hossein was finally brought to court for trial earlier this year. After three sessions, which his family were not allowed to attend, Hossein is still waiting for the judgment to be passed.
Two years after his initial arrest, we are now waiting for the judge’s final verdict.
To support Hossein Derakhshan:
Sign the petition Release Hossein ‘Hoder’ Derakhshan from Evin Prison
Contact the Canadian Embassy in Iran via [email protected] to push for action
Join Free Hossein Derakhshan // Libérez Hossein Derakhshan on Facebook
For further information go to www.freetheblogfather.com
Bertrand Delanoé, the mayor of Paris, yesterday called for the Iranian authorities to spare the life of Hossein Derakhshan. In a press release, the mayor described Derakhshan as “ friend of France and Paris” and appealed for help to “save this honourable, courageous and dignified life”. Delanoé’s words will add to the growing calls in support of Derakhshan. His girlfriend Sandria Murcia has released a statement encouraging the “global community to help”.
After 21 months being in jail, controversial blogger Hossein Derakhshan, (aka Hoder) finally faced trial on 23 June, writes Hamid Tehrani
Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars [Farsi] claims the charges against Derakhshan are working with “hostile” states, propaganda against the Islamic regime, propaganda in favor of anti-revolutionary groups, insulting religious sanctities, and launching and managing “obscene” websites.
Abolqasem Salavati has been identified as the presiding judge. Salavati oversaw some of the major post-election trials of 2009. In those cases, Salavati got a chance to sit in judgment over some of Iran’s most prominent political figures, including former vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi, former deputy speaker of parliament Behzad Nabavi, former government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, and a number of other former government officials.
Fars does not provide specific information about the trial except that the prosecutor’s representative read out a long list of charges in the presence of Hossein’s family, his lawyer and the judge.
Conservative Jahan News [Farsi], published the same information as Fars, but also quoted some of Derakhshan’s blog posts to demonstrate his support for reformists and his hostility to some of Iranian leaders including Ayatholah Khamenei, Ayatholah Mesbah Yazdi and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Jahan News adds that it cannot publish the insults regarding religious figures. But what the site calls “insults” are a few points of view and critiques. Jahan omits to mention that for more than a year before traveling back to Iran Hossein was a supporter of Ahmadinejad.
Cyrus Farivar, a German-based journalist who has followed the case closely, managed to get this quote via email from a source close to Derakhshan’s family:
“One trial session was held and although no family members were allowed in, but the family remains optimistic that no serious issues exist in his case. Plus, considering the fact that he has already served a long time in prison, most of which has been in solitary confinement, the family doesn’t expect a longer jail sentence. There are more court sessions to be held before the final verdict is out.”
The reasons for Hoder’s initial arrest remain unclear, but some speculate that his two (highly publicised) trips to Israel were behind it.
Iranian Blogger Z8tun summed up the situation 21 months ago: “other Iranians have been caught visiting Israel, but were released after a few hours of interrogation. Some speculate that Derakhshan, who in recent years became a supporter of President Ahmadinejad’s government, was arrested because he insulted some religious leaders in the country. He has himself argued in Western media, despite multiple testimonies of jailed bloggers, that nobody goes to jail in Iran because of the content of their blog.”
The Islamic Republic has cracked down on the blogosphere in recent years, and there are several other bloggers in jail in Iran including human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari. On 18 March 2009 Omid Reza Mir Sayafi became the first blogger to die in suspicious circumstances in an Iranian prison.
Campaign for Derakhshan’s release through the Free Hoder Facebook page
Hamid Tehrani, Iran Editor of Global Voices