In his blog, Emil writes:

The Iranian Parliament is discussing the institution of the death penalty for blogging. They seek to “toughen punishment for disturbing mental security in society.” The text of the bill would add, “establishing websites and weblogs promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy,” to the list of crimes punishable by death. In recent years, some Iranian bloggers have been sent to jail and many have had their sites filtered. If the Iranian parliament approves this draft bill, bloggers fear they could be legally executed as criminals. No one has defined what it means to “disturb mental security in society”.

Blogging today is the ultimate form of free speech. Most westernised societies and governments accept this. When a government refuses to protect our civil and human rights, and instead seek to punish and torture their citizens, then it's time for such governments to be abolished. Easier said than done, especially in a radical country such as Iran.

Just recently a blogger died in an Iranian jail. The young blogger was arrested in Iran for allegedly insulting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Internet posting. Omid Mir Sayafi, reported to be in his 20s, died in Evin prison, which is located in Tehran and known for its wing that holds political prisoners.

Agence France-Presse reported that those convicted of these crimes "should be punished as 'mohareb' (enemy of God) and 'corrupt on the earth'," the text says.

Under Iranian law the standard punishments for crimes such as these are "hanging, amputation of the right hand and then the left foot as well as exile".

How many bloggers here in South Africa have blogged and commented on our past and present government. I myself, tho not a political blogger, have commented on Jacob Zuma and his shenanigans. I had better watch out, I could be hung.

Related reading:

Blogger died in Iranian Jail