Rooznegar
March 18, 2009, in Tehran, Iran
Mirsayafi, 28, author of the cultural news blog, Rooznegar, died in
Prison officials said Mirsayafi had committed suicide, the
journalist’s lawyer, Muhammad Ali Dadkhah, told the
Hissam Fairoozy, an inmate, told Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) that Mirsayafi had suffered from depression and had been taking antidepressant medications. Fairoozy, a physician, said that he was concerned about his fellow inmate’s condition and had unsuccessfully sought to have prison doctors hospitalize him.
Mirsayafi’s brother, Amirparviz, disputed claims that the
journalist suffered from depression. He told the
The government did not publicly disclose any details about Mirsayafi’s death.
Mirsayafi, in an interview with HRAI after being sentenced, said he had been coerced into making a false confession. He said the court didn’t specify the blog entries that it considered offensive. An unidentified Iranian blogger told the Times Online that the journalist’s imprisonment may have been linked to an entry in which he questioned Iranian support for Hezbollah.
Medium: Internet
Job: Internet Reporter
Beats Covered: Culture, Politics
Gender: Male
Local or Foreign: Local
Freelance: Yes
Type of Death: Dangerous Assignment
Suspected Source of Fire: Government Officials
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