(cross posted at kickin it with cg and motley moose)

Bloggers encompass a wide spectrum of views and perspectives, and they play a vital role in open discussions of social, cultural and political affairs.  But in recent months, bloggers in Iran have been 'detained' and perhaps more frightening, several media outlets are reporting that, Omidreza Mirsayafi, who had been sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the country's leaders, died in Tehran's Evin Prison this week.

According to Radio Farda, a Farsi-language station that is part of the American-government-financed network of radio stations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Mirsayaf's family is not certain that authorities told them the truth about how the blogger died:

Prison authorities have notified Mirsayafi's family that he committed suicide on March 18 by overdosing on sedative tablets. But while Mirsayafi was known to have taken such medication to treat depression, his sister says he would not have possessed enough to kill himself.

Radio Farda adds that Mirsayafi's lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah;claims that a doctor imprisoned at Evin named Hesem Firozi told him the death could be attributed entirely to the prison's failure to provide Mirsayafi with proper medical assistance. Dadkhah told the radio station that the imprisoned doctor told him that Mirsayafi, 29, had an irregular heartbeat, possibly as the result of taking an overdose, but that his life could been saved if the prison hospital had responded appropriately. According to Dadkhah's account:

The doctor told them how to treat him, asked them to send him to a city hospital. But they ignored the doctor and said [Mirsayafi] was faking his illness. The doctor said, his heartbeat is 40 per minute, you can't fake that. But they sent the doctor out of the room.

According to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders Most of the articles on Mirsayafi's blog were about traditional Persian music and about culture. The rights group, explained that Mirsayafi was sentenced last month to two years in prison for insulting the Islamic Republic's leaders and six months in prison for publicity criticizing the government.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reports that:

In a December interview, Mirsayafi said his blog was completely private and was read only by a few of his friends. He also said that expert testimony by an Intelligence Ministry official during his trial emphasized this point and that he should not receive such a heavy sentence.

After Mirsayafi was convicted he told Reporters Without Borders: I am a cultural and not a political blogger. Of all the articles I have posted online, only two or three were satirical. I did not mean to insult anyone. The rights group adds that it recently received an e-mail from Mr. Mirsayafi in which he wrote:

I am worried. The problem is not my sentence of two years in prison. But I am a sensitive person. I will not have the energy to live in prison. I want everything to be like it was before. I want to resume my normal life and continue my studies.

In November Hossein Derakhshan, an Iranian-Canadian blogger known as Hoder was arrested in Tehran on charges of spying for Israel and could face the death penalty.  Derakhshan known as the 'Iranian Blogfather' is believed to be still detained at an unknown location.

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression have published a letter of support, sent to Iran's Embassy and the Canadian government.

Earlier this week, the father of the Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, told Lindsey Hilsum of Britain's Channel 4 News that he had spoken to his daughter, who is still being held in Evin Prison. He added that waiting for her release is a nightmare. Hilsum reported on Channel 4's World News blog that Reza Saberi said his daughter didn't sound terribly good, when he spoke to her on a telephone in Evin Prison on Monday. She said life in prison is psychologically challenging. That is, as Hilsium says, obviously an understatement. Saberi added: We told her to hang on, and not give in. The whole world is with her.

Two weeks ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the U.S. State Department had been working through intermediaries to win Saberi's release, and an Iranian official said that Ms. Saberi would be released within days. Her father told Hilsum that if his daughter was not released by the start of the Iranian New Year celebrations this Friday evening, she is unlikely to leave Evin Prison before the end of the two-week holiday.

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We don't usually blog as much about personal things around here but I was sorry to learn from Todd Beeton that his father passed away a few days ago, and offer my best wishes for Todd and his mother.

Sean Paul Kelly, over at the Agonist, is Globe trotting (see In The Land Where "All Is King",  and Six Months Gone for recent samples), and is also now the also the Global Correspondent for The Young Turks, so congrats there- he's headed to India next.

I blogged about the suspicion of this a few weeks ago, and now Iran has confirmed that they are holding the prominent Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan under arrest"over remarks he allegedly made about key figures in the Shiite faith, local media reported."P2Pnet has more info.

I spent the last 3 weeks chumming with family and relatives out in the NW winter storms of OR & WA. My favorite thing: taking my Mom up one morning to Carson Hot Springs where I sat in the sauna for 30 minutes, soaked in their tubs for 30 minutes, got a body wrap for 30 minutes, and then a massage for 60 minutes. For only $90. I was relaxed enough to hang out at OMSI with the kids the whole afternoon.

I know I haven't been blogging much (the '09 VA Gov race has been occupying a lot of space), but if you want to hear more of "the Armstrong voice", then I've got a solution for you. I noticed two of my younger cousins, Adam and Matt Armstrong, becoming increasingly political over the past year through the internet. So, I wasn't surprised to see them start a blog, Daily Censored. Good stuff.

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Hossein Derakhshan is an Iranian-Canadian blogger that's widely considered the most well-known Iranian blogger. He's lived abroad, blogging in Canada, but recently went back to Iran on a visit. At some point shortly after his arrival in Iran, it is now being blogged, that he was arrested and jailed. The last post on his blog is from over two months ago. He's apparently been in jail for weeks, but the story just broke on a persian blog, which many have taken as a confirmation, and brought onto english on this blog:

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(cross posted at kickin it with cg and motley moose)

Hossein Derakhshan, an Iranian-Canadian blogger known as Hoder was arrested in Tehran on charges of spying for Israel and could face the death penalty, according to a number of media reports.  

Derakhshan, lived in Toronto for seven years and moved to the U.K. in 2007. Widely considered the most prominent Iranian blogger, Derakhshan has been writing on his blog since 2001 and it has been censored numerous times by Iranian authorities. His pioneering work has earned him the nickname of "Godfather of the Iranian Blogosphere." Hoder is also considered a controversial figure for his support of the Iranian regime.

In 2006, he visited Israel and at the time was quoted as saying that this could make returning to his birth country difficult.

"This might mean that I won't be able to go back to Iran for a long time, since Iran doesn't recognize Israel, has no diplomatic relations with it, and apparently considers traveling there illegal. Too bad, but I don't care. Fortunately, I'm a citizen of Canada and I have the right to visit any country I want."

The reason for his visit to Iran is unknown.

It has been speculated that Derakhshan was likely arrested sometime in the last two weeks. A number of journalism activist groups have begun campaigns calling for his release.

Hoder's had his writing published in the Washington Post, the Guardian and other publications.

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