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Bloggers in Pain, National Interest & Broken Promises

Categories: Middle East & North Africa, Iran

According to ManNamanam, Mojtaba Samininejad [1], imprisoned blogger, accompanied with two prison guards, with handcuffs, was permitted to write one of his final exams [2]. He is a student in social communications, in Azad University [3] (Tehran). He couldn't write the first three of his final exams because of the shortcomings of the people in charge. He was not allowed to sit with the other students for the final exam. According to RSF, blogger was sentenced in June 2005 to two years in prison [4] for “insulting the Supreme Guide ( means Ayatholah Khamenei [5])”. One month later he was given an extra ten months in prison for incitement to “immorality”.

According to RSF, Ahmad Reza Shiri, Iranian journalist & blogger, will have a permanent threat hanging over him as a result of the suspended sentence of three years in prison handed down by a court in the northern city of Mashad [6] on 8 January. He was reportedly accused of writing articles in his blog calling for a boycott of last February’s legislative elections [7]. Ahmad Reza Shiri (Persian) shares his feeling and experience in his blog. He says he was one of first bloggers in Khorasan [8] province and thousands of visitors daily came to his blog. Blogger adds his first blog, Iran Azad (Free Iran), was a collective blog and he could not be considered as the only responsible of its contents. Shiri says Under pressure I gave the password of blog to prison's agents [9]. Blogger says he must be very careful because he does not want to go to Mashad prison where raping,drug smuggeling and murdering are very common things.

It seems that Abtahi [10], former vice President, is disappointed with Ahmadinejad's [11] Foreign policy. In his blog, this reformist cleric, talks about national interest [12] and writes:

Since last night when I was reading the news on the nuclear negotiations in the media and I noticed that the dialogue which existed is turning into a semi diplomatic confrontation, like many others I became worried. The art of foreign policy is to attract the cooperation of the world for national interest not making confrontation with them. I hope the result would not be against the benefit of the people of Iran and the oil revenue. I wish it was possible to say to him that it is not the duty of the officials to say that people are not afraid of boycotts, but they should ask politicians to act in a way that while preserving the glory of the people, they avoid any boycott. It is one year that we are selling our oil for more than 50 dollars. Instead of witnessing its effect on our daily life, we should not be waiting for economic boycotts. If this happens it is the people, specially the poor, who would suffer. It is easy to chant slogan, but it is difficult to find logical solution preserving the interest and glory of the people. No country welcomes boycotts“.

Hanif Mazroi (Persian), Iran based blogger, says Iranian government has created a record number of crisis during last six months [13]. Blogger says Ahmadinejad's slogans were about social justice and economic well-being before coming to power. Blogger believes, after getting elected [14], Iranian President realised he can not accomplish even five percent of his promises. Blogger asks how Ahmadinejad can justify his indifference to domestic policies.