Antonella has not blogged since long time. Her last blog post was on April 25, 2012 in which she wrote:

“Dear Hamid,

Every day I discover how vast a heart can be,
like a new landscape at the horizon
where sadness, hope, forgiveness, fear, joy and pain run far and fast
as if they were clouds.
Stay strong my darling, my heart will hold.

Antonella”

When I met Antonella Mega, I could feel that she is not a blogger. At least she is not someone who blogs frequently or uses Twitter, Facebook, or other social media all the time (unlike me!). If Antonella blogs, she is blogging for Hamid. I think blogging is a very important tool. I will keep my promise to blog about Hamid and other prisoners of conscience in Iran.

Who is Hamid Ghassemi?

Hamid is Antonella’s husband. While visiting his mother in Iran in 2008, Hamid disappeared. He was mistakenly imprisoned, charged for being a spy, and sentenced to death. Hamid is now in Tehran’s Evin prison and he needs our help. He needs our help urgently. It's a nightmare to think that an innocent man is facing a death sentence.

Blogging in and on Iran

Iran is very well known for its Internet censorship. There is no doubt that bloggers might end in prison if they speak up about injustices. I assume that there is risk for Iranian bloggers in Iran if they decide to write about Hamid. For instance, Iranian blogger Sattar Beheshti was arrested, and he died in custody after being held on charges of “actions against national security on social networks.”

Bloggers in Iran are censored and can’t speak up. Knowing that, it’s now the duty of other human rights activists to raise awareness and demand actions regarding prisoners of conscience in Iran including Hamid.

Things to share on your blog:

-     FREE HAMID (www.freehamid.com). This website has more informational on Hamid's case, and on how to help him.

-     Video of children (Hamid’s neighbors in Toronto) talking about him and urging others to take action to help release Hamid.

-     “Cities for Life”: Over 1000 municipalities around the world will be taking a stand against death penalty. Toronto is one of them. Antonella will be speaking at the Cities for Life event in Toronto on November 30.

Sharing information on prisoners of conscience and unfair trials in Iran is very important. Blogging on behalf of those at risk is very crucial. If Iranians in Iran face the risk of persecution if they use social media as a platform for reform demanding justice, then we can blog on their behalf!