Free Hoder
The Globe and Mail is calling for Iran’s government to release blogger Hossein Derakhshan, a.k.a. Hoder, who is facing calls from an Iranian prosecutor to be executed for his “crimes.”
Being a pain in the ass seems to be Mr. Derakhshan’s only transgression. Shortly after moving to Toronto in 2000, he taught thousands of Iranians how to start their own blogs after posting instructions in Farsi for how to use a popular blogging tool, earning him the nickname “The Blogfather.” In 2006, he visited Israel, saying “I want to humanize Israel for Iranians … Israel is not thirsty for Muslim blood.” More recently, he became an apologist, of sorts, for the regime, speaking out in favour of its quest for nuclear weapons. …
Mr. Derakshan’s views and ways may not be to everyone’s liking – he doesn’t fit neatly as either a state propagandist or an agitator for democracy. But free speech is often inconvenient; indeed, that is one of the reasons why free people should be agitating for his release. …
Even if Mr. Derakhshan did not carry a Canadian passport, we would still need to speak up for him. For while he and other prisoners in Iran are not enemies of the state, the current regime, bent only on self-preservation, regards them as enemies.
Also see this Sept. 24 post: Interviewing an Iranian blogger before he faced a possible death penalty.
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