Iran: jailed cyberactivist on hunger strike

FRANCE 24 -- In a letter written from prison and posted on his blog by his family, jailed Iranian dissident Mehdi Khazali has said he is prepared to die for the cause. A doctor by trade, he was recently sentenced to 14 years in prison for “insulting politicians”. He has been on hunger strike for over one month now in protest of his detention.

This is not the first time Mehdi Khazali has found himself behind bars. The son of leading right wing cleric Ayatollah Abolqassem Khazali, was arrested in 2009 for his involvement in the protest movement against the highly disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

There is now strong concern over his current state of health. His son Mohammed was able to visit him during his time in hospital, and a website belonging to a human rights organization has quoted him as saying that his father has lost a lot of weight and is in danger of dying. There has also been widespread concern among the online community and web users have launched a campaign for his release via social media platforms.

Amnesty International thinks this case illustrates how Iran is stepping up the repression in the run up to the parliamentary elections scheduled for the 2nd March. The NGO published a report on Tuesday denouncing the authorities’ crackdown not just on opposition leaders, but also on web users in Iran by the establishment of a national cyber police force.