Authorities urged to quash 30-month prison sentence imposed on blogger

Reporters Without Borders calls on the judicial authorities to overturn the jail terms that were passed on blogger Omidreza Mirsayafi (http://rooznegaar.blogfa.com) on 15 December, coinciding with a European Union appeal to Iran to respect the rights of its detainees. A Tehran revolutionary court sentenced Mirsayafi to two years in prison for “insulting” the Islamic Republic's leaders and six months in prison for “publicity against the government.” “These sentences are much too severe for a blogger whose only crime was to express his views online,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The offending blog entries were satirical comments about Iran. They may seem excessive but they cannot be regarded as ‘insulting' and certainly do not deserve a prison sentence.” Arrested on 22 April, Mirsayafi was released after 41 days in detention on payment of 100 million toman (72,000 euros) in bail. When he appeared in court on 22 November he was charged under article 514 of the criminal code, which says “insulting Supreme Guide Khomeiny, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the country's leaders, is punishable by six months to two years in prison,” and under article 500, which says “propaganda against the state is punishable by three months to one year in prison.” Most of what Mirsayafi posted on his blog, Rooznegar, which can no longer be accessed, was about traditional Persian music and culture. He told Reporters Without Borders: “I am a cultural blogger, not a political one. Of all the entries I posted online, only two or three were satirical. I did not intend to insult anyone.” Mirsayafi's lawyer told Reporters Without Borders that, “in the opinion of the court's experts, this blog did not have enough visitors to be regarded as a ‘publication'.” Mirsayafi is meanwhile still facing separate charges of “insulting the prophet of Islam” and “attacking the sacredness of Iran” before a Tehran assizes court. Iran is one of the world's most repressive countries towards outspoken bloggers and often imposes disproportionate sentences. The government is currently considering a bill that would extend the death penalty to crimes committed online. On 18 december, the UN general assembly passed a resolution urging Iran to put a stop to death sentences and executions.