back to article Iranian blogger gets 20 years

Canadian-Iranian journalist Hossein Derakhshan has been sentenced to nineteen and a half years in prison for crimes relating to his blog. Derakhshan, who has been in prison awaiting trial for two years, was found guilty of blasphemy offences, propaganda against the Islamic Republic and collaborating with foreign governments, …

COMMENTS

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  1. Tasogare
    WTF?

    For some reason...

    This gave me a mental image of a judge rolling 1d20 for sentence length...

    But it does seem fairly random. They let him back in, he changed his tune, they jailed him anyway. See icon.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    For some reason #2

    He had the chance to steer clear of his dictatorial, oppressive homeland (Canada and UK, yay), then headed back, because they ALLOWED him, after he committed the most sinful crime of letting everybody knowing a piece of his mind about his homeland government, (or how to make a blog, who cares)?

    And he expected mercy?

    And not getting jailed for it?

    And not eventually having any broken or severed limbs, or stoned to death?

    A true candidate to Darwin Awards.

    See icon. See it again. See it for 19.5 years.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You can't discuss anything with religious extremists...

    ...especially ones that hold their fingers on the trigger of a nations army.

    On the good side, this just goes to show the reality to the world of what their government is like and why the people really need to take back control of their country.

    And they wonder why the population is willing to take to the streets in violence.

    This is one time I'm very glad to be in the UK.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Nuclear?!

    He wrote in favour of Iran building its own nuclear weapons, in order to fend off attack by the US or Israel.

    It looks like they did the right thing locking him up by that remark! If the US or Israel go in force in tanks shootign guns etc then he'd have his country firing nuclear missles?!!!!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Everything is relative

    What's worse?

    1. Getting 19 years for writing bad things about your government

    2. Getting 6 months for killing someone

    Not judging here, just curious because of the number of people seemingly getting away with murder in this country [UK]

    Mind you, if the same person in #2 stood to make some money from the murder then it would be 60 years - because the courts value money more than life.

  6. ShaggyDoggy

    gotcha

    clearly they let him back in so that they could get him like this, always on the agenda, pity he didn't spot it

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Israel

    If Israel can bring down the PCs in a nuclear plant with a sophisticated virus, why on earth can't they target the ones used by the Clerics and government. I'm sure the US would pay for it.

    Iran is becoming as bad as China. In the region, despite the image portrayed by Western press, it's quite liberal in many respects - women work / drive, you will find Churches, Synagogues and even Zoroastrian temples with other faiths even protected by legislation (and they get a seat in parliament)... yes, there is persecution but compare it to Saudi !

    Come on Israel, at least hinder the autocrats in power, targetting Siemens kit in the country is a waste of time. Cyber warfare at least won't kill innocent civilians (inc. power plant workers).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Err...

      Very liberal, executing Women for adultery, men for homosexuallity, banging people up for twenty years for blogging, extrajudicial beatings, imprisonment without trial, repression of press and political parties. All of these things are prime examples of a liberal society.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Welcome

    HIM: Iran is an oppressive dictatorship!

    IRAN: Dude, bogus! We're totally not rad now. Come check us out, man, it's all cool.

    HIM: Well, OK then. Hey, this isn't so bad... wait, what are you... aaargh, my testicles! Conducting electrical current is not their intended function!

    IRAN: Psyche!

    NEXT FOREIGN RESIDENT IRANIAN NATIONAL BLOGGER: Iran is an oppressive dictatorship!

    IRAN: No, dude, that's bogus...

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