Omid Reza MisayafiOur friend Hamid Tehrani has told us that Omid Reza Misayafi has died in prison in Iran. Omid was sentenced in December to three years in prison for “insulting” Iranian religious leaders.

“The reason for his death,” says Hamid, “has not been announced but he was in very bad psychological condition.”

Considering torture and other types of mistreatment are par for the course for free speech prisoners in Iranian prisons, Omid’s death may well have been a direct result of Iranian government actions. Considering the government usually places bloggers in prison with the most dangerous criminals, his death may only have been an indirect result. Either way, the men of the government of Iran and its prisons have a lot to answer for.

In the meantime, for what it’s worth, our heartfelt condolences go out to Omid’s family. They’ve killed one of us.

Commitee to Protect Bloggers