Iranian blogger detained again after her release

Nahid Kalhor, 21 years old Iranian blogger and student in Quom University is once again detained by the Islamic Republic authorities after her release in June 2008.

According to Amnesty International, Nahid Kalhor was first arrested on June 1, 2008 by officers of the Ministry of Intelligence (Ettela’at) and was released on June 12, 2008 after the international pressure.

As of October 25, 2008, no one has heard from Kalhor. According to reports, once again she is detained by the authorities in Iran. Kalhor had a blog called, “Freedom is not free.” When she was detained, the authorities closed her weblog and she was not allowed to write any more.

Kalhor has been unofficially charged for working with “Confederation of Iranian Students,” an independent student movement to promote human rights and democracy in Iran. Kalhor has been known to be the brain behind this student organization movement in Iran. Amir Abbas Fakhravar, Secretary General of “Confederation of Iranian Students” said, “even if she is a member to this organization that is not illegal. Our organization’s mission is to simply promote human rights and democracy."


Upon Kalhor’s release in June 2008, she has lost so much weight and wrote in her diary that she wanted to commit suicide. Nahid wrote in her diary, “for twelve days while I was detained I only ate an apple a day. My legs were in excruciating pain and I was so weak I couldn’t sit up straight. The fear and terror have taken over me. The humiliation, the screaming, watching my parents tears… When I fell sleep I would wake up with nightmares.”

Shortly after her release, Kalhor was hoping to move to the United Kingdom to pursue her Master’s degree. Her friend Erica in the US was helping her with the school forms and admission to different universities. Erica released some of the photos and the mission statement Kalhor wrote for the universities she was applying for. This is part of Kalhor’s mission statement.


“Most of the advanced countries have progressed by educating their young generation and using their skills in different aspects of living. Studying can help improve our lives and our society for a better condition. I hope to study in the UK to get better language ability for my academic future.”

Erica last heard from Kalhor on October 24, 2008. “I am praying that she will be released soon. She hasn’t done anything wrong to be detained. She is a decent human being who loves to learn.”

There are no reports on the current situation of Nahid Kalhor...

Posted in: CIS PRESS