Ali Abtahi blogs from inside Prison!

- or "Public Confessions Move to the Internet"

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, still imprisoned in Iran, was the first cabinet member in Iran to write a weblog or have an Orkut account during his membership in the cabinet.

On August 26, 70 days after his arrest, the prison authorities gave him "permisson" to write a post on his blog www.webneveshteha.com

The blog Keeping the Change suggests that "Abtahi has been ordered by government officials to continue his blogging" and that his blog from now on will be used as an extension of his earlier confession at the Tehran trials.

Abtahi’s blogpost makes a quite disturbing reading:

"When they cannot arrest the Reformist leaders they take those of us who helped and supported them, spread their message, and ran their organizations, so as to suppress the uprising that resulted from the belief that the election had been stolen. I think, however, that the majority of the prisoners know there was no manipulation of the election results, […] In the next few days, I will explain further the statement that I read in the courtroom three weeks ago, […] This year, as I sit alone in my cell and read my prayer book and Quran, I have gained a special spirituality […] Please pray for me as well. Loneliness is so painful.”

Read full English translation and the Farsi-language original here.

Edit, Aug 28:

Green Breef 61-62 suggests that

"the government is creating fake blog entries in the name of reformist leaders to show that they are being treated fairly. Abtahi’s blog is the latest that is being updated."

Edit, Aug 29:

@persianbanoo: Abtahi's daughter: What you see on my father's site, is dictated to him by his interrogator #iranelection

Edit, Sept 6:
@IranRiggedElect (Sept 1): Abtahi's website is down because the British hosting company has blocked it: http://bit.ly/2a5RXf #IranElection

Edit, Sept 14:

@IranRiggedElect(Sept 13): Evin interrogators make new website for Abtahi so he can blog from prison again: http://bit.ly/2esW2R #IranElection