Thursday 20 November 2014

Tehran pardons and frees Iranian-Canadian ‘Blogfather’

A Canadian-Iranian blogger credited with inspiring the blogging revolution in Iran has been released from prison after receiving a pardon from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Hossein Derakhshan, who is widely known as “the Blogfather,” confirmed his release in a social media posting on Thursday morning. In 2010, two years after his arrest, he was given a 19-year sentence for co-operating with hostile countries, spreading propaganda and insulting religious figures, according to Iranian media reports at the time of the sentencing.

“I was released after six years,” Mr. Derakhshan wrote on a social media account. He said he thanked God and was grateful to Ayatollah Khamenei. He also expressed thanks to his family and supporters for their efforts to seek his release.

Mr. Derakhshan moved to Toronto in 2000 after working as a journalist in Tehran. He published instructions on how to blog in Farsi, sparking a surge in Iranian-language blogs.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said Thursday that Mr. Derakhshan had spent the past couple of years serving his sentence outside of prison, but was required to check in regularly with authorities and unable to leave Iran. Executive director Hadi Ghaemi said the pardon relieves Mr. Derakhshan of that responsibility and will allow him to travel internationally.

Mr. Derakhshan’s pardon comes shortly after the United Nations adopted a resolution on Tuesday condemning Iran’s human rights record and urging reform.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/tehran-pardons-frees-iranian-canadian-blogfather/article21667928/




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