A writer from Iran received a 12-year sentence for tweeting a dot at the supreme leader.
After responding to an Ayatollah Ali Khamenei message on the social media site X with a single period, or dot, an Iranian writer and activist was condemned to 12 years in jail.
Long-time opponent of Iran’s ruling elite, Hossein Shanbehzadeh, was vocal on social media in favour of political prisoners and the repeal of the law requiring women to wear headscarves. 2019 saw him sentenced to jail for derogatory remarks he made against Khamenei online. He later wrote about the incident, Voice of America said, including getting whipped.
Shanbehadeh, 35, was taken into custody in Ardabil, northwest Iran, at the beginning of June. He admitted to his family that he didn’t know why he was detained, but according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, it happened soon after he tweeted a response to Khamenei’s tweet that included the Iranian leader with the nation’s volleyball squad.
The Islamic Republic's security forces on Tuesday arrested Iranian blogger, writer and proofreader Hossein Shanbehzadeh who, last month, posted a single dot in reply to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's tweet, and that comment was liked far more than Khamenei's original tweet.… pic.twitter.com/P4Bram1nr6
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 5, 2024
Shanbehzadeh’s post received far more “likes” than Khamenei’s original tweet, according to Iran International English
Shanbehzadeh is just the latest activist to be caught up in the hard-line government’s crackdown on critics. Iran watchers say the leadership has felt insecure about the high level of dissent in the country for a while. Artists, playwrights, directors and others are also being swept up and given long prison sentences. In late April, Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was handed the death sentence for his antigovernment videos.
Shanbehzadeh was sentenced to five years for alleged pro-Israel propaganda activity, four years for insulting Islamic sanctities, two years for spreading lies online and an additional year for anti-regime propaganda.
His lawyer, Amir Raisian, told Shargh Network, a reformist newspaper in Iran, that he would appeal the verdict, especially the accusation of pro-Israel activity. The prosecutor’s office in Ardabil alleged that Shanbehzadeh had been in contact with Israeli intelligence officers and was arrested when trying to leave the country, according to Voice of America.