Iranian Blogger Could Face Death Sentence

An Iranian blogger has been arrested in Iran and charged with spying for Israel. He could face the death penalty if found guilty. Hossein Derakhshan, known around the world as the father of the Iranian blogosphere, was recently arrested upon returning to Iran from Canada.

 

Jahan News, an Iranian website affiliated with Iran’s intelligence community, reported on Monday that he admitted to spying for Israel. Derakhshan, a 33-year-old secular Iranian, has been living in Toronto for the past seven years and holds Canadian citizenship. It was in Toronto that he started writing his blog, Hoder, in both English and Persian. Derakhshan has participated in many international forums as a representative of the younger Iranian generation.

 

Observers have noted a tougher tone in his writing over the past couple of years, in that he has been more supportive of the regime in Tehran. Derakhshan has appeared in numerous news reports providing an Iranian point of view and expressing support for Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

Source The Media Line that I picked up off twitter

We blogged about it here The fight for weblogistan and beyond and here

Flows of information and communication cannot not be ultimately suppressed. If I wanted to create create a movement in Iran to fight extremist views of all persuasions I would enlist the bloggers, hence Iran's obvious distaste for Hossein.