Iran’s Supreme Leader, Khamenei, Frees Canadian-Iranian ‘Blogfather’

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly announced on Thursday to have pardoned Iranian-Canadian blogger, Hossein Derakhshan, who was imprisoned almost six years for allegedly spreading propaganda, insulting Islam and cooperating with hostile countries. Derakhshan worked as a journalist in Tehran before moving to Toronto in 2000.

According to Iranian bloggers, Derakhshan launched a blogging revolution in the Islamic Republic by publishing instructions on the subject in Farsi. Earlier on Tuesday, U.N. General Assembly committee adopted a resolution condemning Iran’s human rights record and urging the government to make good on promises of reform. In his remarks on Google Plus web page on Thursday, Derakhshan stated that “I’m free after six years,” adding that “I thank God. I’m so grateful to Ayatollah Khamenei.” Additionally, he also thanked his supporters and family for their efforts to secure his release. Derakhshan was jailed on suspicion of spying for Israel in 2008 in Tehran and later again sentenced to 19-1/2 years in prison in 2010. According to Iranian media, he published material criticizing the Tehran government and visited Israel in 2006. Quite noticeably, Iran does not officially recognizes Israel or allows its citizen to travel there.

Khamenei has pardoned or shortened the sentences of thousands of prisoners, most of which were in jail for crimes such as robbery, in January and March. He claims to have provided amnesty to mark first the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed in January and the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution in March.

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