[2] Laylaz was a pro-reform critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and was arrested as part of a general crackdown during the 2009–2010 Iranian election protests; his newspaper, the business daily Sarmayeh, was banned by government censors in November 2009.

[4] During the 2009 Iranian presidential election, Laylaz was a key adviser in the campaign of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.

[3][5] A Sarmayeh husband-and-wife team, editor Bahman Ahmadi Amouee and reporter Jila Baniyaghoob, were arrested three days later.

[6] On 2 December 2009, Laylaz was found guilty of "taking part in illegal gatherings" and "holding classified information", and was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment.

Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience, "detained solely for [his] peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression", and called for his immediate release.