Correspondent Cyrus Farivar reports on the case of a Iranian blogger who died in an Iranian prison. Human rights groups calling for an inquiry into Omidreza Mirsayafi's death.
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JEB SHARP: I'm Jeb Sharp, and this is The World, a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI, and WGBH in Boston. It's an ominous time for journalists in Iran. In January, Iranian-American reporter Roxana Saberi, who filed for this program, was arrested. She continues to be held without charges. And now comes word that an Iranian journalist and blogger held in the same prison has died. The group Reporters Without Borders says Omidreza Mirsayafi died in Iranian custody, and it's calling for an investigation into his death. Cyrus Farivar has the story.
CYRUS FARIVAR: Omidreza Mirsayafi was not a prominent blogger in Iran. The 29-year-old mostly wrote about traditional Iranian music and culture. He was primarily an arts reporter. However, he did have some posts on his blog that contained references to Iranian political prisoners and also mentioned some general wishes for freedom. Those posts apparently got him into trouble. That's Reza Moini, of Reporters without Borders in Paris. He says that Mirsayafi was summoned to Tehran's Revolutionary Court in early February for questioning. Once the questions stopped, Mirsayafi was arrested. Eventually he was sent to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison. It wasn't the first time Mirsayafi had been arrested. He was detained in April 2008 on charges of insulting Ayatollah Khomeini. He spent 41 days in prison. Hamid Tehrani is the Iran editor for Global Voices, a blog collective. He writes under a pseudonym. Tehrani says it's still not clear how Mirsayafi died, though there are reports he was depressed in prison. Tehrani says no matter how Mirsayafi died, the Iranian government should be held to account.
TEHRANI: When you are in prison, the people who put you in prison – the Iranian authorities – are responsible for your health and for your life.
FARIVAR: Tehrani also notes that Iran was the first country to arrest a blogger back in 2003.
TEHRANI: The problem that now faces Iranian bloggers, as usual, is they don't know where is the red line.
FARIVAR: In other words, it's impossible to know what will or won't set off the wrath of the authorities. Roozbeh Mirebrahimi is an Iranian journalist now living in New York. He was jailed five years ago in the same Tehran prison where Mirsayafi died. He was recently sentenced on similar charges and can't go to Iran anytime soon. Mirebrahimi says the recent arrests and the death of Mirsayafi send a chilling message to those who might criticize the government in Iran.
MIREBRAHIMI: Bloggers and some journalists have to understand: that's it, he Iranian government's message to all. If you're working like that, that's your final situation, you know? Prison or die.
FARIVAR: Mirebrahimi speculates that the government's recent focus on bloggers and journalists may be related to the upcoming Iranian presidential election in June. For The World, I'm Cyrus Farivar.
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