a death sentence on a Canadian resident for allegedly designing an adult website.
The man’s wife says he helped develop some software that a pornographic website later used, but that he had nothing at all to do with the website.
The Canadian government, which leads the annual campaign in the United Nations to condemn Iran’s human rights record, was incensed at the sentence.
Saeed Malekpour, 35, was detained in October 2008 while visiting his terminally ill father. According to United4Iran, an organization calling for his release, the charges brought against Malekpour include “taking action against national security by designing and moderating adult content websites;” “agitation against the regime;” “contact with foreign entities;” “insulting the sanctity of Islam” and “insulting the Supreme Leader and President.”
In an open letter, Malekpour described what he called physical and psychological torture he has been subject to at the hands of the Pasdaran’s Cyber Army, which he said forced him to make false confessions. Since his arrest, Malekpour remains locked up in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Malekpour graduated from Iran’s Sharif University of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in material engineering. He worked as a technical expert at Iran Khodro—Iran’s largest car manufacturer—as a technical inspector in a private corporation, and later as a material research associate for a metallurgical research center, RMRC, in Tehran.
In 2004, he and his wife, Fatimeh Eftekhari, moved to Canada, where he became a permanent resident. He began work as a freelance website developer and programmer responsible for developing parts of websites—portions involving, for example, IT system management and system security.
While working as developer in Canada, Malekpour designed a program that would allow his clients to upload pictures, and, as is the norm in programming, included his name in the file.
In an interview with the Committee of Human Rights Reporters in May 2010, Eftekhari said one program her husband created was used in an adult content website without his knowledge or approval. “The only recognizable name in the program was Saeed’s,” she continued, “which led to his arrest” and to the accusations claiming that he was responsible for the development and administration of the website.
Melissa Lantsman, spokeswoman for Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, said, “Canada remains deeply concerned by the continued flagrant disregard of the Iranian authorities for the rights of Iranians. This appears to be another case in which someone in Iran is facing a death sentence after a highly questionable process,” she said.
“We continue to call on Iran to respect its domestic and international obligations and ensure fairness and due process for all its citizens and others.”
Some suspect the death sentence may reflect the fury of the Islamic Republic with Canada and its lead role in criticizing Iranian human rights compliance. Iran has even produced a pamphlet ridiculing Canada as a major human rights violator; it distributes the pamphlet at the UN to try to discourage votes against Iran.
Canada took on the lead role on the human rights issue after dual national Zahra Kazemi was beaten while in detention in Evin prison and later died in 2003.