Those were the first words Iranian blogger Omidreza Mirsayafi wrote in his blog when he first started it in 2006. Later he was jailed, tried, and sentenced to 30 months in prison for insulting Iranian leaders and the Islamic character of Iran.
Blogger becomes casualty of Iranian cyber-wars: Showdown brewing between government and bloggers, social network sites
During his incarceration he quickly began to suffer depression. On March 18th, he died of an overdose of tranquilizers provided by the prison. He'd been at the prison for a little over a month.
I am so glad that I live in a country with freedom of speech, as well as other rights. I hope someday Mirsayafi's people enjoy similar rights. We Americans tend to take ours for granted; his death is a reminder of why we shouldn't do that.
According to the article, Reporters Without Borders lists 68 bloggers that are imprisoned like Mirsayafi, most in China. Blogging is a perfect medium for political dissidence. For that very reason oppressive regimes do what they can to control access to the Internet, use censorship of information, and imprison those they find undesirable.
To freedom, wherever it may be, and to the memory of a young man whose words dared to challenge others to think and question their leaders.
No comments:
Post a Comment