An Iranian Writer Is Sentenced to 12 Years After Tweeting a Dot at the Supreme Leader
3rd September 2024
An Iranian writer and activist has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after replying with a single dot, or period, in response to a post on the social platform X by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Hossein Shanbehzadeh, a longtime critic of Iran’s leadership, was active on social media, supporting political prisoners and the removal of mandatory headscarves for women. He was sent to prison in 2019 for his online comments insulting Khamenei. He later wrote about the experience, including being flogged, according to Voice of America.
In early June, 35-year-old Shanbehadeh was arrested in Ardabil, northwestern Iran. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, he told his family he wasn’t sure why he was arrested, but it came shortly after he posted the response to Khamenei’s tweet, which showed the Iranian leader with the country’s national volleyball team.
Reminder for the dimwitted: Islam is an oppressive totalitarian ideology, masquerading as a religion, with which no co-existence is possible.