HRANA News Agency – Blogger Bahnam Darvishan was sentenced to three years in prison by the Revolutionary Court in Qazvin.He was arrested on November 21, 2010 by IRGC security forces and has been banned from having any visitors for the last eight months.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a number of plain clothes officers raided Bahnam Darvishan’s family house on November 21, 2010 and confiscated his personal belongings such as subsidy checks, books, notes and CDs.He was arrested and locked up in a solitary confinement in IRGC Intelligence Agency’s detention center.Following his family’s repeated pleas and appeals, he was allowed to call his family last week.During this brief phone call, Bahnam Darvishan informed his family that he was suffering from a respiratory disease acquired in prison.

Iranian judicial officers have told Bahnam Darvishan’s family that he has been charged with propaganda against the regime and connections with the opposition groups abroad.Citing articles 498 and 500 from Islamic Criminal Law, the Qazvin Province Revolutionary Court, Branch 2, sentenced Bahnam Darvishan to three years in prison.

After Bahnam Darvishan’s incarceration, Iranian intelligence agents also attempted to arrest two of his colleagues.On November 21, 2010, Ali Shafi was detained, and a computer and several CDs were seized from his house.Ali Shafi’s whereabouts and current condition are not known.

Families of Bahnam Darvishan and Ali Shafi have been placed under tremendous pressure in order to prevent them from disseminating any news of these prisoners.