Iran blogger dies in Evin prison (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Reports from Iran say Omid Mirsayafi, a blogger who had been jailed for insulting the country's ruling clerics, has died in Tehran's main prison.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran says Mr Mirsayafi, 29, died on Wednesday.

His lawyer Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said officials at the Evin prison told him Mr Mirsayafi had committed suicide and he demanded and immediate inquiry.

There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.

In quotes published by AFP, Mr Dadkhah said another Evin prisoner with medical training "had warned officials in the jail of the state the young blogger was in".
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7953738.stm

[MADem]

1. Yeah, he "died," all right. Evin prison is still notorious.

It was notorious under the Ayatullah, it was notorious under the Shah.

And he committed suicide, they say? What did he do, tie his hands behind his back and hang himself? Or did they just hand him a razor and taunt him? Or did they "overdose" him on his prescribed medications?

Inquiring minds want to know.

...According to Article 19, unconfirmed reports coming out of the Evin prison seem to indicate that Mirsayafi’s death may have been caused by an incorrect dose of the prescribed medications he had been taking.

Human rights activist Dr Firouzi alleges that prison doctors ignored pleas to give him proper treatment and that officals made little attempt to save his life.

Article 19 Executive Director, Dr Agnès Callamard said: "Article 19 is shocked at the news of Omid Reza Mirsayafi’s death in prison, especially on the eve of Norouz.

"We call on the Iranian authorities to launch a thorough and urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death."

Many bloggers in Iran recieve prison sentences, including Shahnaz Gholami, a women rights activist and editor the blog A Woman’s Rights are Human Rights, arrested in November 2008 for posting articles deemed to be damaging to national security on her blog.

Gholami, who also experienced harsh prison conditions, was released on bail of 200 million Tumans (approximately £140,000) on 17 January 2009 after going on hunger strike.


http://brennybaby.blogspot.com/2009/03/investigation-urged-into-death-of.html

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Why Would Anyone Worry About Iran Getting Nuclear Weapons?

The death penalty for bloggers and teenage homosexuals... how marvelous!

[Rage for Order]

3. So? Our government would do the same thing here if they could get away with it

And probably do, with some regularity. Who are we to judge what happens in Iranian prisons when we have more people locked up than any other nation in the world? This faux outrage is ridiculous. I'm guessing we should invade Iran to free ll the people being held in their prisons???










:sarcasm: