A well-known Canadian-Iranian blogger has been sentenced to more than 19 years in prison, an Iranian news website reported Tuesday.
The conservative website, Mashreghnews.ir, which is close to Iran's presidential office, said Hossein Derakhshan was convicted on charges of cooperation with hostile countries, spreading propaganda against the ruling establishment, promotion of counterrevolutionary groups and insulting Islamic thoughts and religious figures.
Derakhshan can appeal, the report added.
Derakhshan, who made trips to Israel and blogged in both English and Farsi, has been in prison since 2008. It's unclear if he would benefit from time served.
According to the Canadian Press, Derakhshan previously lived in Toronto and was also known online as "Hoder."
The . By some estimates, this resulted in up to 60,000 blogs being created and earned him the nickname "blogfather."
Iranian authorities have arrested numerous bloggers in recent years in a bid to clamp down on Internet dissent.
