Web Developer Sentenced To Death In Iran

An anonymous reader points out the case of Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian-born permanent resident of Canada who worked as a web developer. In 2008, during a visit to Iran, Malekpour was arrested and detained by Iranian authorities on charges that he designed and moderated "adult content websites." In 2009, he was sentenced to death for "acting against the national security, insulting and desecrating the principles of Islam, and agitating the public mind." Malekpour wrote photo-uploading software, and in a letter he sent from prison, he said it was used by porn sites without his knowledge. This week an Iranian court reviewed the case and confirmed that the death sentence was an acceptable punishment. According to one Canadian publication, "Human rights monitors believe that Malekpour, one of a number of people held on Internet-related charges, is trapped by a convoluted justice system that is manipulated by rival factions in Iran."

Comments

In other words,

[Anonymous Coward]

You're in danger the second you step into Iran. Don't do business there, don't visit there.

Re:In other words,

[Racemaniac]

Since when do you have to enter the US to get arrested by it? look at the megaupload guys...

Re:In other words,

[purpledinoz]

What really irks me is that case of American hikers caught by the Iranians in Iraq. First of all, why do they have to go to Iraq to go hiking? They KNOW it's dangerous. By being caught, they gave Iran a bargaining chip. What the hell is wrong with these people?

Re:In other words,

[Anonymous Coward]

What really irks me is how a random group of Americans can be discovered by Iranians wandering into Iraq, the media is told OH THEY'RE JUST HIKERS, and a single person finds the story credible.

Re:In other words,

[Anonymous Coward]

Tell that to the guys at gitmo, or to those who will be detained based on the "National Defense Authorization Act".

Re:In other words,

[Cederic]

No, in the US you only need to be born black in Detroit to be put to death.

Meanwhile hosting a website that links to other websites can earn you 20 years in jail when you've never even fucking visited the fucking country.

I haven't even mentioned the decade of torture and false imprisonment in a foreign country for the evil crime of "pissing off someone that works for the Americans". Or do you really believe that everyone in Guantanamo is guilty?

Trust me, from where I'm sat the US poses are far greater threat to my ongoing life and freedom than Iran does.

Re:In other words,

[TheRaven64]

Why? Most people in both countries can live quite happily without ever being involved with the legal system (I've not been to Iran, but I have a few friends from there, so admittedly I'm only speaking based on second-hand information). In both cases, you can be imprisoned for quite ludicrous things (e.g. owning a specific quantity of a certain kind of plant in the USA). In both places, the state reserves the right to kill its citizens.

We've had a similar case here in NL

[bytesex]

The question is: why oh why do all of these people go back to fscking Iran ?!

Re:Savages

[MichaelSmith]

I think it is bizarre that Iran apparently has people who track the authors of software used to host pornography and associates it with their residency status and availability for arrest in Iran.

Re:Death penalty

[Anonymous Coward]

While religion can be destructive at times, it does do a lot of good. I'm an atheist, but stating that religion should not be allowed is a violation of human rights. Prosecuting every religion is the same as prosecuting just one, which is often what happens in countries like Iran. However, the death penalty definitely should be banned.