OxBlog

# Posted 11:31 AM by Patrick Belton

IRANIAN JOURNALIST AND BLOGGER ARRESTED: A friend of OxBlog's from North Carolina writes to draw our attention to this tragic story about well-known Iranian writer Sina Motallebi, who was arrested yesterday, apparently for giving interviews to Persian-language radio services outside of Iran. His blog WebGard (now inactive) was among the five most popular Persian-language weblogs.

Blogger Jeff Jarvis is keeping tabs of the story here. Meanwhile, Glenn Reynolds has made the commendable suggestion that we all contact the Iranian mission to the UN to protest Mr. Motallebi's arrest; the mission's email address is iran@un.int. Written letters to your congressional delegation drawing their offices' attention to this would also be very much in order.

UPDATE: I've just put my money where my mouth is and written my congressional delegation - if any of you would like to do the same, please feel free to draw on (or add to) this letter:

Dear Senator:

I am a foreign policy professional in the Washington, D.C. area, and I am writing to you in a personal capacity to express my great concern at the arrest this weekend of Iranian journalist Sina Motallebi for granting interviews to Persian-language radio services outside of Iran.

I would be very grateful if your office could please forward my letter with your own letter of concern to the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs. I would also be very grateful for any resolution of support for Mr. Motallebi which your office may be willing to introduce in this session of Congress.

With many thanks and all best wishes,

Patrick Belton

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