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Wall Street Journal's celebrated journalist Bret Stephens commenting on US President Barack Hossain Obama's Iran diplomacy wrote, “Barack Obama extended the olive branch to Iran's leaders in a videotaped message praising a 'great civilization' for 'accomplishments' that 'have earned the respect of the United States and the world.' The death of Iranian blogger Omid-Reza Mirsayafi in Tehran's Evin prison two days earlier was, presumably, not among the accomplishments the president had in mind.”

Omid-Reza Mirsayafi passed away silently in Iranian prison on March 20, 2009 (Friday) leaving behind thousands of admirers, friends and supporters. He was arrested last April, tried last November, and detained in February following an interrogation.

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.

His death followed that of Amir Hossein Heshmatsaran, founder of an Iranian opposition group called the National Unity Front, who died on 6 March while serving an eight-year sentence. Heshmatsaran's family alleged that he had died because of negligence, after suffering a stroke.

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."

Mirsayafi was convicted of insulting religious leaders and of making propaganda against the Islamic system. He was awaiting a further trial on charges of insulting "sacred Islamic values". The offences were allegedly committed on his blog, Rouznegar, which focused mainly on music and cultural issues.

Mirsayafi denied the postings were insulting and said they were only intended to be read by friends. Before being convicted, he told associates he would die if he was imprisoned.

Details of Mirsayafi's deterioration in prison were given by Hesam Firoozi, an imprisoned doctor who witnessed his treatment. Firoozi, who has treated some of Iran's best-known political activists, told Mirsayafi's lawyer that medical staff had denied him proper care by failing to send him to hospital.

Iran has come under scrutiny before for its treatment of imprisoned activists. Human rights groups voiced outrage in July 2006 when Akbar Mohammadi, incarcerated for leading anti-government student demonstrations, died in Evin prison after going on hunger strike. He had been fasting to protest against the lack of treatment for injuries suffered in captivity.

News of Mirsayfi's death emerged as officials announced the arrest of 27 people they said were involved in pornographic and erotic websites allegedly created by foreign powers aiming to foment a "soft revolution" against the Islamic regime.

Omidreza Mirsayafi was sentenced two years and six months in prison for the contents of his blog. The usual suspects covered the story: Global Voices Advocacy immediately issued a statement, then provided a followup piece detailing the arrests of other Iranian bloggers over the years. Reporters Without Borders documented Mirsayafi's arrest and subsequent trial. But the mainstream media? They remained silent as usual, as they continue to ignore many important cases of press repression in the world. For example, the case of anti-Jihadist Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, who was arrested on November 29, 2003, imprisoned for 17 months and released on bail on April 30, 2005 at the relentless efforts of Jewish activist Dr. Richard L. Benkin and Rep. Mark Steven Kirk. This important case as only covered a number of times by Wall Street Journal, New York Sun and The Washington Times, while most of the mainstream media in the West, including CNN, Fox, BBC, ABC, Guardian, Los Aneges Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, International Herald Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, Newsweek, TIME etc, continue to ignore this extremely important issue. Newspapers like New York Times although published an editorial in December 2003 right after the arrest of Mr. Choudhury, this newspaper too lacks in continuing any followup report on this case.

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury faces sedition, treason and blasphemy charges in Bangladesh for confronting militant Islam, for promoting inter-faith understanding for exposing activities of madrassas which are breeding ground of jihadists, for demanding relations between Israel and Bangladesh and for condemning religious hatred, suicide bombing and jihad. According to Bangladeshi law, sedition bears capital punishment.

Shoaib has to spend hundreds of hours in the court since 2003 and his next trial date is May 26, 2009. From Bangladesh, he runs country's most influential and only anti-jihadist newspaper, Weekly Blitz.

Reporters Sans Frontiers in their statement on Omid-Reza Mirsayafi said, “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.”

According to Amnesty International, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran contains many important safeguards of rights and freedoms that are guaranteed in the international instruments to which Iran is a state party (see box), including those relating to freedom of expression and fair trial. These seek to ensure that all individuals enjoy the same rights under law, and the human dignity that follows from this.

Human rights treaties that Iran has ratified:1968 - International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination  Continued    Source: Sunita Paul

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