Hossein Derakhhshan's Twitter is only six tweets long but about as alarming as they come
39-year-old's feed was interrupted by six years in prison
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Blogger Hossein Derakhhshan has tweeted for the first time after his six year imprisonment, his Twitter serving as a stark reminder of how quickly your luck can change in Iran.
Back in 2008, when Twitter was still in its infancy and people were deciding whether to make the jump from MySpace to Facebook, Derakhhshan began tweeting about his move back to Tehran.
It was fairly standard stuff – him chilling in bed with laptop, being frustrated by slow internet connection – then nothing.
His silence was due to his arrest. One minute he was 'loving' living in the Iranian capital again, the next he was charged with insulting religious leaders in his writing, cooperating with "hostile states" and publishing "propaganda" and was thrown in jail for 20 years.
Six years later and Hossein has been freed, picking his Twitter back up with this oddly calm tweet: " Pardonded by Ayatollah @khamenei_ir. Freed from prison, finally after 6 years, last night. #iran"
He reportedly added on Google Plus: "Thank you, God. Thank you, Ayatollah Khamenei. Thank you to those who supported and prayed for me in those difficult days."
It is not yet known why the Ayatollah, who has final say on all legal matters, pardoned the blogger, or if he will resume the blog that landed him in trouble.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments