Mojtaba Saminejad
Encyclopedia
Mojtaba Saminejad is an Iranian blogger
and writer. He studied journalism
at the Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University
.
He is the president of Shahr-e Khorshid publications and editor of Ferdowsi magazine.
Saminejad's initial arrest on November 1, 2004, followed the publication on his blog of the arrests of three other bloggers. He was released on bail on January 27, 2005, relaunched his blog at a new address, and was promptly re-arrested on February 12, 2005. His bail was doubled to $125,000, which he could not pay.
He was charged with "insulting the prophets" (punishable by the death penalty under Article 512 of the Iranian Islamic penal code), "endangering national security", and "insulting the Supreme Leader
" (the head of state
of Iran).
On June 2, 2005, he was found guilty of "insulting the Supreme Leader", and sentenced to two years' imprisonment by Judge Saadat of Revolutionary Court 13. On June 28, 2005, he was found not guilty of "insulting the prophets". One month later he was sentenced to an extra ten months in prison for incitement to “immorality”.
During his arrest, Saminejad was allegedly held in solitary confinement for 88 days and subjected to beatings and torture
.
He was taken in handcuffs to sit his exams at Tehran’s Azad University on 21 January 2006.
After 21 months, on September 13, 2006 he was released from prison, and started blogging again. He also works with an Iranian human-rights group, Human Rights Activists in Iran, which gathers information about how Iranians are repressed.
In 2009 he signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.com
along with 266 other Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists about the Iranian Persecution of Bahá'ís
.
Iranian blogs
Blogging in Iran operates under special circumstances because the government restricts certain views. Blogs in general tend to be unregulated compared to other forms of expression in Iranian society. This characteristic can account for the huge popularity of blogs especially among Iranian youths...
and writer. He studied journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at the Central Tehran Branch of Islamic Azad University
Islamic Azad University
Islamic Azad University is a private chain of universities in Iran.Headquartered in Tehran, Iran, the Islamic Azad University was founded in 1982 and currently has an enrollment of 1.5 million students, making it the world's third largest...
.
He is the president of Shahr-e Khorshid publications and editor of Ferdowsi magazine.
Activities
As a student, Saminejad was a writer and blogger. In 2004 Reporters Without Borders listed his as one of the Best blogs defending freedom of expression.Saminejad's initial arrest on November 1, 2004, followed the publication on his blog of the arrests of three other bloggers. He was released on bail on January 27, 2005, relaunched his blog at a new address, and was promptly re-arrested on February 12, 2005. His bail was doubled to $125,000, which he could not pay.
He was charged with "insulting the prophets" (punishable by the death penalty under Article 512 of the Iranian Islamic penal code), "endangering national security", and "insulting the Supreme Leader
Supreme Leader of Iran
The Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranking political and religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The post was established by the constitution in accordance with the concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists...
" (the head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
of Iran).
On June 2, 2005, he was found guilty of "insulting the Supreme Leader", and sentenced to two years' imprisonment by Judge Saadat of Revolutionary Court 13. On June 28, 2005, he was found not guilty of "insulting the prophets". One month later he was sentenced to an extra ten months in prison for incitement to “immorality”.
During his arrest, Saminejad was allegedly held in solitary confinement for 88 days and subjected to beatings and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
.
He was taken in handcuffs to sit his exams at Tehran’s Azad University on 21 January 2006.
After 21 months, on September 13, 2006 he was released from prison, and started blogging again. He also works with an Iranian human-rights group, Human Rights Activists in Iran, which gathers information about how Iranians are repressed.
In 2009 he signed an open letter of apology posted to Iranian.com
Iranian.com
Iranian.com, also known as The Iranian and The Iranian Times, is an online English language magazine.Founded in July 1995 by entrepreneur/journalist Jahanshah Javid, Iranian.com has the largest online following among Iranians residing in North America, with about 68,000 visitors per month-Awards...
along with 266 other Iranian academics, writers, artists, journalists about the Iranian Persecution of Bahá'ís
Persecution of Bahá'ís
The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
.
Works
- Fiction
- 2004 Ambiguous People , a short surrealSurrealismSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
story in PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
.
- 2004 Ambiguous People , a short surreal
Awards and honors
- 2004 - Best blogs defending freedom of expression (Reporters Without Borders)