News is emerging of the death of journalist and blogger Omidreza Mir Sayafi in Evin prison in Iran.

The 29-year-old Safayi’s blogs were mostly on music and culture, but he was charged with “insulting Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei” and inciting others against national security. He was sentenced to two years in prison. A pending case accused him of “insulting sacred values”.

According to Iranian human rights activists, he was taken to the prison clinic on the morning of 8 March this year in critical condition. According to Safayi’s doctor, Hessam Firouzi, “[He] was deeply depressed and prison conditions would have been unbearable for him.” The physician added, “The prison doctors were even reluctant to have blood pressure and basic medical tests done. Everything was done because of my persistence at every step of the way”

Iranian officials have not commented on the case.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 14:27 and is filed under Journalism & Media, Middle East & Iran. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.