Iman Masjedi, a blogger, was arrested on July 18, 2010, by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. Six other bloggers were arrested at the same time.

Masjedi was held in solitary confinement, interrogated and pressured to admit to being a member of anti-religious and blasphemous groups. He was convicted of a number of different offenses including “blasphemy” and being an “enemy of God.”

The seven bloggers, all students aged between 19 and 28 when they were arrested, are Masjedi, Amir Latifi, Mohammad Reza Gholizadeh, Laden Mostofi Maab, Hanieh Farshi, Hojjat Nikoei and Sepehr Ebrahimi. The seven were charged with spreading “propaganda against the state,” taking “actions against national security through collaborating with counter-revolutionary organizations,” and “insulting the Prophet Muhammad” as well as blasphemy charges.

On July 18, 2010, Reporters Without Borders published a statement concerning the arrest of the bloggers, describing the accusations against them as unjust.

Masjedi was barred from seeing his lawyer or his families during his detention. His case was heard on May 17, 2011, nearly a year after he was arrested, Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. Masjedi was sentenced to eight years in jail and transferred to Section 350 of Evin Prison to serve his sentence.

An appeals court later acquitted Masjedi of “blasphemy” and of being an “enemy of God” and reduced his prison term to one year and four moths. He was released in March 2012 – the only of the seven bloggers to lodge a successful appeal.