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Mehdi Saharkhiz, son of journalist Issa Saharkhiz, who is currently serving his three-year prison term, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that his father has been sentenced to an additional two years in prison. “The new ruling against him is like the other ones. It displays the personal animosity of Mr. Khamenei against my father for his criticisms of Khamenei. Now they are trying to abuse him in whatever way they can and keep him in prison longer,” said Saharkhiz.

Issa Saharkhiz, a political activist who was former head of the National Press Department of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance during the Khatami era, is currently at Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj. On 5 August, he was sentenced to an additional two years in prison for his former journalistic activities. Saharkhiz was arrested in the aftermath of the disputed 2009 election, and Judge Salavati sentenced him to three years in prison at Branch 15 of Tehran Revolutionary Court on charges of “insulting the Supreme Leader” and “propagating against the regime.” During his two years in prison, Issa Saharkhiz has not been allowed one day of furlough.

Addressing the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Saharkhiz said: “I would like to tell Mr. Khamenei personally that he should learn from Hosni Mubarak. One day, something exactly like this will happen for the Iranian government, maybe in one, two, or a few years; but Iranian government officials wi... >>>