The son of Iran’s former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mehdi Hashemi, began a 10-year prison term for financial and security crimes on Sunday, August 9. He presented himself at Tehran’s Evin prison prior to any official requests to appear. Mehdi read out a statement disputing his sentence before entering the prison by characterizing it as a “politically motivated” attempt to destroy his family’s reputation. Before leaving for prison, he took time to update his Facebook followers about his social media activities during his captivity.
“I am writing my last Facebook post. In a few hours, without being served an official order, I will submit myself to Evin Prison. This portal will remain open to you. Your comments and messages will be printed on a weekly basis and a family member will bring them to me during our weekly visits. If necessary, I will respond to them as well. I have written an extensive post about my court procedures that will be published soon. At times, I will give a picture, a particular topic that comes to mind, or a memory from prison [to family members] to post on Facebook. This way you will know how Evin Prison can host the father [Hashemi Rafsanjani] one day and another day host the son. The difference is that it seems like Evin is eternal and will not leave…”