Four bloggers in Iran have been sentenced to eight years in prison and a total of 124 lashes for doing what we do on this site–it's termed "counter-revolutionary" work in their case. The four were charged in 2004, and following an outcry from international journalists' and free speech
groups, it was hoped that the Iranian regime would go easy on them. No dice.
One is Omid Memarian, who got 2.5 years and 10 lashes, and has been lately covering the Roxana Saberi case. He was charged in 2004 with “participation in illegal groups,” “propaganda against regime,”
“spreading lies” and “possession of playing cards,” which the judge
refers to as “gambling tools.” He told an Iranian reform site:
Recalling tortures and psychological pressures imposed on him by
detention officers, Memarian said, “The officers… interrogated me
and extracted the confessions that they wanted while I was held in
solitary confinement under all kinds of physical and psychological
pressures were sexual and mental abusers.”
Memarian emphasized, “I told Mr. Shahroudi that not just in my case,
but in no one’s case should these individuals be left alone in the
room with anyone, because they are mentally unstable and capable of
doing things that no mentally sane and stable person is able to do.
After two months of being subjected to torture in solitary confinement,
our lives have never returned to its initial condition because of that
dark time’s psychological pressures.”
These people can't win. That's the message they should be getting from the international community. The world is opening up.
And yes, it might appear that this site is schizophrenic, given the post below from Mohammad of Vancouver attacking Iran's attackers. Call it what you please; myself, I am trying to learn about this stuff. I take in a lot of information. It is a complex situation.
