Send e-letters to Canadian officials & embassies urging them to save Canadian resident, Saeed Malekpour, from execution!

E-letter last updated 02/14/11

Background
Saeed Malekpour is a 35-year-old prisoner of conscience who was imprisoned in October of 2008 while visiting his terminally ill father in Iran, for case of relating to “internet offenses.” The charges brought against Saeed 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.” He could be charged as “Corrupter of the Earth” (Mofsed fel-Arz), a charge that is punishable by the death sentence. Saeed continues to deny these vague allegations.

In 2004, Saeed and his wife moved to Canada, where he became a permanent resident. He began work as a freelance website developer & programmer responsible for developing only parts of websites or portions involving, for example, IT system management and system security. While working as developer in Canada, Saeed designed a program that would allow his clients to upload pictures, and as is a common courtesy in programming, included his name and info in the file.

This program, Saeed’s wife – Dr. Fatimeh Eftekhari – explains, was used in an adult content website WITHOUT Saeed’s 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 Saeed was responsible for the development and administration of the website.

In an open letter, Saeed described the physical and psychological tortures at the hands of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Cyber Army which pressured him to false confessions. Since his arrest, Saeed remains confined in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison without indictment or access to a lawyer. Saeed has spent more than 12 months in solitary confinement and denied books, newspapers, and contact with the outside world.

Stay updated on his case here: http://peoplewithoutnation.wordpress.com/

Directions
The letter is below. If you choose to add a personal message to the e-letter, please keep it polite, human-rights focused, and without rhetoric. To the right of the e- letter page are the recipients of the e-mail you send. You don't have to send a letter multiple times (one click will send your message to all of the listed officials). Below the letter are personal fields to fill out. Enter as much information as you feel comfortable. A VALID e-mail address is required; however, if you don't feel comfortable sharing your e-mail, consider making an e-mail account just to use for actions like this. You do NOT have to sign your name in the letter. If you enter your name in the "Name" field, it will fill it in for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at info@united4iran.org

Subject:

Your Letter:

CC: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canadian Embassies, House of Commons

Dear Prime Minister:

I write to you out of deep concern for Saeed Malekpour, a permanent resident of Canada who was detained by the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) in October 2008 for “internet offenses.” He was sentenced to death in December 2010 without having had regular access to a lawyer, resources to defend himself, or legitimate due process.

Canada’s Spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs has noted that the case “appears to be another case in which someone in Iran is facing a death sentence after a highly questionable process.”

The IRI is averaging one execution every eight hours, and in light of the recent execution of Dutch-Iranian protester, Zahra Bahrami, it is imperative that Canada takes to the world stage and urges the safety and release of its own residents detained in Iran. I urge you and your colleagues to state your concern publicly as a means to pressure the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) to treat Mr. Malekpour, and all other prisoners, in accordance with the norms set forth by international human rights standards.

The 35-year-old and his wife moved to Canada in 2004, where he began work as a freelance website developer & programmer. During this time, Mr. Malekpour designed a program that would allow his clients to upload pictures, and, as is a common courtesy in coding, included his name and information in the file. The program was later used as part of an adult content website WITHOUT Mr. Malekpour’s consent or knowledge. Because his was the only recognizable name associated with the program, Mr. Malekpour was arrested in October 2008 after returning to Iran to see his terminally ill father, for the false allegation of “developing an adult website.” Mr. Malekpour’s initial baseless and politically motivated charges include “agitation against the regime”; “contact with foreign entities”; and “insulting the sanctity of Islam”.

In March 2010, he wrote an open letter that detailed how his confessions were extracted under immense pressure, torture, threats, and false promises of release, leniency, and bail. In response to the open letter, the IRI returned Mr. Malekpour to solitary confinement and, as retribution, tacked on the additional baseless charge: “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”

As the case is full of technical terms and nuances, there is little knowledge or understanding of the “evidence.” Mr. Malekpour has continually been denied access to the resources he needs to disprove the accusations, while his requests for the IRI’s judiciary trusted IT experts to investigate the case file have gone unheard.

On January 22, 2011, Mr. Malekpour was taken to Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, where he faced a second round of politically motivated charges, including “collusion with his wife to act against national security”; "propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran;" and “agitating the public mind”.

Because neither his family nor his lawyer was informed of the recent trial, Mr. Malekpour had no legal representation. He ultimately refused to defend himself during the trial, instead insisting that his lawyer be present. He has been unable to work with his lawyer due to his prolonged solitary confinement in Ward 2-A of Evin prison.

The IRI continues to violate the rights standards set forth by Articles 10, 11, and 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the “Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners” as detailed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

To this end, I urge you: please use every mechanism at your disposal to save Saeed Malekpour. Please, work with the international community to urge the Islamic Republic of Iran to institute an immediate moratorium on all execution sentences and to conduct independent reviews of all pending death penalty cases, including Mr. Malekpour’s.

I plead that you urge the IRI to afford Mr. Malekpour his due rights, a fair trial, access to independent legal representation, medical care, freedom from physical and psychological torture, and most importantly, a halt to his execution.

As one of the most compassionate world bodies today, Canada can set a significant precedence and lead the international community to respond to the human-rights crisis engulfing the people of Iran – especially in stepping forward and showing support for one of its own. By expressing concern loudly, the IRI will realize that continued abuses will lead to an insufferable level of disruption in their international relations.

Canada can, and should, rise to the challenge now faced by the international community and lead the charge in drawing attention to Mr Malekpour’s case, the abuses he has endured, the false confessions, the torture, the threats, and his execution. Canada remains a country that has been courageous in holding the IRI accountable for its human rights abuses.

I hope that the Canadian leadership can take concrete action on behalf of Saeed Malekpour, an innocent man who relocated his life and family to the great country of Canada. Please work towards Mr. Malekpour’s safe release and bring your country’s permanent resident back home to Canada, his wife, and his family.

Thank you for listening to my concerns. I look forward to your response.

Your Sincerely,

Stephen Harper

Office of the Prime Minister

Ca

Lawrence Cannon

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ca

Deepak Obhrai

Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ca

Beverley J. Oda

Ministry of International Cooperation

Ca

John Baird

House of Commons

Ca

Beverley J. Oda

Canada - Minister of International Cooperation

Peter Kent

Canada - Minister of State of Foreign Affairs

CA Consulate - Australia (Canberra)

CA Consulate - Australia (Sydney)

CA Embassy - Belgium

CA Embassy - Brazil

CA Embassy - Czech Republic

CA Embassy - France

CA Embassy - Germany

CA Embassy - Hungary

CA Embassy - Iran

CA Embassy - Italy

CA Embassy - Japan

CA Embassy - Netherlands

CA Consulate - New Zealand

CA Embassy - Norway

CA Embassy - Spain

CA Embassy - Sweden

CA Embassy - Switzerland

CA Consulate - United Kingdom

CA Embassy - United States

Dennis Horak

Embassy of Canada in Iran (Tehran)

Ir

Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations

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