Middle East Focus: Iran’s Ruling Mullahs: a Gulag for Bloggers…………

Arabia Deserta

Iran’s Ruling Mullahs: a Gulag for Bloggers…………

Walking on water

“After months of anticipation and almost two years after his arrest and imprisonment, blogger Hossein Derakhshan was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Courts today. News of the stiff sentence was first published by Mashreq website. A source close to the family of Hossein Derakhshan confirmed the news for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, adding that Derakhshan's family are shocked by the news. "Neither the family nor the lawyer knew about the sentence, they read the news online." The conservative website referred to Hossein Derakhshan as an "anti-revolutionary blogger." "According to the sentence issued today by Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Courts with Judge Salavati presiding, Derakhshan who was arrested in October 2008, has been charged with 'cooperation with hostile states, propagating against the regime, propagation in favor of anti-revolutionary groups, insulting sanctities, and implementation and management of obscene websites,' and sentenced to 19.5 years in prison, five years' ban from membership in political parties and activities in the media; and returning received funds in the amount of 30,750 Euro, US$2,900, and 200 British Pounds," reported the Mashreq website……”

You’d think he was responsible for the Stuxnet worm that has been attacking Iranian computers. I can see the long sentence if he were convicted of specific acts of espionage (a la J Pollard). But for a blog? They seem to be opening a gulag for internet protesters. This bodes ill for bloggers all over the Middle East, bar one or two countries.
This is real bad news for all of us.
Cheers
mhg

m.h.ghuloum@gmail.com