Iranian blogger Omid Reza Misayafi dies in prison:
Hamid Tehrani at Global Voices Online brings the tragic news that a jailed Iranian blogger, Omid Reza Misayafi, has died. It seems that he may have committed suicide. Apart from the personal tragedy his family must now grapple with, his death is another step backwards for the universal right of free speech. Misayafi’s death will have a chilling effect on Iranian voices online, who provide an essential outlet for the cause of reform and moderation.
I wish I had something more profound to say, but all I can do is offer a dua (prayer) for those Iranian bloggers that remain in Iranian prisons – notably Hoder Derakshan, arrested last November, who is by many accounts the father of the Iranian blogsphere.
I met Hoder at BlogNashville in 2005. At the time he was returning to Iran for the elections, hoping that with attention focused on Iran he would be safe. He was able to leave safely then, but was arrested when he returned in November, 2008.
In the time between those two events Hoder’s politics took a strange turn that I still don’t understand:
This week he wrote a Washington Post op-ed titled “Iran Needs Nuclear Weapons.”
Hoder fled his native country because of the abuse of power there. He’s spoken out against the Iranian mullah’s manipulation of elections (such as wiping dozens of opposition party candidates off the ballot). He’s fearful of going back because the government may arrest him for his criticism.
Yet he wants that same government to have nuclear weapons. What’s wrong with this picture?
He’s been in jail for five months now. I hope he’s OK.
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There is nothing wrong with that picture. It shows he is capable of thinking simultaneously in two different contexts.
Nuclear weapons are a tool on the playing field of nations. Who is in charge of his nation is an internal matter. That he can think of his country’s best interest independently from his country’s current leaders proves two things: 1) he believes those leaders can be replaced, 2) he has deep principles stronger than his emotions about the here and now.
“he believes those leaders can be replaced”
A belief that has not been borne out, unfortunately. Meet Supreme Leader.
“2) he has deep principles stronger than his emotions about the here and now.”
I think it’s more likely he has emotions overpowering his logic, though the situation is so incredibly odd it’s hard to say. It’s possible the Iranian government got to him somehow even when he was outside of Iran. He just changed his tune too much and too quickly for me to find it copacetic.
The fact that once in custody he “confessed” to being a spy for Israel strongly suggests things aren’t on the up and up and that the Iranian government is using him to teach others a lesson.
How do you square that “confession” with your theory? If you think the confession was truthful it shoots a hole in your theory. If you think they tortured or threatened him to get a confession, what makes you think they didn’t get to him before he went back to Iran?
I just think it’s natural for an Iranian to want his country to be able to defend itself or have a deterrent in the face of aggressive, militarized foes. You and I naturally worry about who would control those weapons, whereas he surely thinks of the dangers to his family and friends if Iran were to go to war with us or with Israel.
I don’t know enough about the guy to muster up a “theory.” I just see no inherent conflict between disliking your country’s leaders and not wanting your country to be invaded. Did he once oppose Iran getting nuclear weapons, or are you just assuming he should?
Not sure of his prior stance on Iranian nukes, but he went from wanting the Iranian leaders out of power to praising them and wanting them to have nukes. Doesn’t pass the smell test.
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