2010: Iran: Hossein Derakhshan
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei,
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street, Qom
Islamic Republic of Iran
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency,
Palestine Avenue,
Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737
Islamic Republic of Iran
12. October 2010
Your Excellencies,
Iranian-Canadian journalist Hossein Derakhshan sentenced.
The Writers in Prison Committee of Norwegian PEN condemns the nineteen-and-a-half year sentence handed down to Iranian-Canadian journalist and blogger Hossein Derakhshan by a Revolutionary Court on 29 September 2010. Derakhshan has been held since 1 November 2008 for comments posted on his weblog. International PEN considers Hossein Derakhshan to be detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to free expression, and therefore in violation of Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory. It calls for his immediate and unconditional release, and seeks assurances of his well-being in detention.
Yours sincerely
Annaguli Yildam,
Member of Norwegian PEN, WiPC
