OTTAWA - An outspoken Canadian blogger born in Iran has been detained by authorities there for almost two months, prompting worries about his well-being.
Judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters in Tehran that Hossein Derakhshan was being held under order of the revolutionary court.
Jamshidi said Tuesday that Derakhshan was charged with insulting religious figures, but did not elaborate.
Rumours had swirled among human-rights officials for months that the 33-year-old Derakhshan, a pioneer of Iran's blogging scene, was in prison.
In Ottawa, Foreign Affairs spokesman Rodney Moore said Canadian officials had unsuccessfully tried to obtain details of the case from Tehran.
"Since learning of his reported arrest in mid-November, consular officials have been in contact with Iranian authorities, including by diplomatic note, to obtain confirmation of Mr. Derakhshan's arrest and to seek consular access," Moore said Tuesday.
"To date, we have not received a response from the government of Iran."
Derakhshan, a Canadian citizen who lived in Toronto before heading to London for graduate studies, was arrested by agents at his home in Tehran on Nov. 1.
"I'm very concerned, actually," said Nazli Kamvari, a friend and fellow blogger who lives in Toronto. "The fact that it's taken so long is really alarming."
She said she fears the courts could try to make a "political project" of him as an example to others, adding that Derakhshan's uncle recently left Toronto for Iran to try to help his nephew.
Kamvari, a student whose own blog is blocked in Iran, could only speculate as to why her friend had seemingly run afoul of authorities there.
Derakhshan, who recently returned to live in his country of birth, helped Iran's blog boom flower seven years ago by posting technical instructions on how to create sites in Farsi. Since 2002 he has also blogged in English.
Derakhshan was once highly critical of the Iranian government, but had recently lauded the country's hard line against the West, fearing his country was unfairly being relegated to international outcast status.
During a 2005 visit to Iran, he was questioned about the blog's content and forced by authorities to sign an apology. He has also courted controversy by twice visiting Israel -- forbidden under Iranian law.
Derakhshan, also known online as Hoder, came to Canada with his then-wife in 2000.
His family in Iran refused to comment when contacted by The Associated Press earlier this month.
Moore said Canadian officials "will continue to press Iranian authorities for consular access to Mr. Derakhshan."
Iranian authorities have arrested several bloggers in recent years, garnering the country a spot on Reporters Without Borders' list of leading Internet enemies.
The organization says the government passed regulations in 2006 requiring website managers to register with authorities, and created an "Internet surveillance body" responsible for combating the publication of "false news."
As a result, the website of one conservative newspaper critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "has been regularly subjected to legal proceedings for publishing 'false' news."
