Iran: Wave of repression

by Anne McShane Sun Mar 22, 2009 15:17

An Iranian Blogger and critic of the Theocracy has died in prison from an overdose of tranquilisers. His "crime" was to insult member of the Iranian leadership. Full text at link.

Omidreza Mirsayafi, 29, died in Tehran's notorious Evin prison on Wednesday, just over a month after a judge gave him a two-and-a-half year sentence for posting comments on his blog about figures including the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini . Human rights campaigners called for prison officials to be prosecuted after Mirsayafi took extra doses of tranquilisers prescribed by prison doctors. He was suffering from depression and had previously attempted to commit suicide, according to a fellow inmate.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said the deaths illustrated contempt for political detainees' health.

"Iranian leaders have relegated the administration of the prison system to a group of incompetent and cruel officials who are showing their utter disregard for human life," said Hadi Ghaemi, the campaign's spokesman. "If the authorities do not move quickly to hold negligent officials responsible, they are reinforcing impunity and the lack of accountability."

by maverick - the rock that doesn't roll Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:09

while many trade union & feminist issues under Islam get deserved coverage in the press, far fewer human rights victims, of the persecuted religions in Iran, do so. Pentecostals & Bahai's have been murdered. all Iranians are threatened with death for the so-called apostacy of deciding to believe in something other than Islam.....

so much for "peace loving" Islam.

sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy_in_Islam