IFEX members condemned the 19-and-a-half-year prison sentence given to the Canadian-Iranian blogger and called for his immediate release.
(CJFE/IFEX) – 1 October 2010 – We, the undersigned free expression organizations, have come together to express dismay at the sentence handed down to blogger Hossein Derakhshan. Although the prosecutor’s call for the death penalty was not approved, the sentence against Hossein Derakhshan represents a serious violation of Iranian obligations under international law. It is clear that Derakhshan, charged with cooperating with hostile countries, spreading propaganda and insulting religious figures, was sentenced for merely enjoying the right to freedom of expression.
Reports from former cell mates indicate that Derakhshan has been tortured while in prison and has been the subject of harsh interrogations. We believe that Derakhshan remains at risk for as long as he is in prison, and that the extreme length of the sentence adds to the danger that he faces. Derakhshan has been held in Evin prison for almost two years, but his case only went to trial last summer.
The 19-and-a-half-year prison sentence was announced on the conservative website http://www.Mashreghnews.ir . The sentence also includes several fines – €30,750, US $2,900, and £200.
We are calling on the Iranian government to immediately release Derakhshan and meet its commitment to protect basic human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression. We, the undersigned groups, also ask the international community to continue to hold Iran to its obligations and to support Iranian bloggers, journalists and writers to do their work without fear of imprisonment or reprisal.
Prison is no place for Hossein Derakhshan or for the dozens of other writers, journalists, academics and bloggers who continue to languish in Iran’s jails.
Signed,
