Toronto Blogger Facing Espionage Charges in Iran

Hossein Derakhshan aka Hoder is a Iranian-Canadian who has called Toronto home for the past seven years. He's a prominent blogger, an Internet activist, and a writer for The Guardian UK. And he's been arrested by Iranian authorities on accusations of spying for Israel - an offense punishable by death.

An advocate for the use of the web for social and political reform in his country of birth, news of his reported confession comes as a shock to those that know him, which leads us to wonder if it was genuine or coerced.

Whether or not the federal government will put forth a concerted effort in support of Derakhshan is yet to be seen.

Photo of "Hoder" in Israel from his Flickr site.