On Saturday afternoon at Toronto’s Dundas Square, the International Center for Human Rights (ICHR) held a gathering to protest against Saeed Malekpour’s execution sentence. Activists and supporters of the Canadian resident braved the cold to draw attention to the horrific reality that Saeed may be executed any day without ever being granted a fair trial for the bogus internet-related charges laid against him. Event organizers also passed around an Amnesty International petition that urges Iranian authorities to halt Saeed’s imminent execution.

Additionally, some activists in Los Angeles have announced on Facebook that they will be holding a rally in solidarity with Saeed Malekpour on Monday.

Last week on Sunday, supporters of Saeed and Amnesty International held a rally in Montreal. The positive response that the Montreal protest received has inspired other cities to also taken quick action for Saeed.

 

Saeed Malekpour’s life has been in danger of execution again since earlier in the month when his lawyer’s appeal was rejected and his death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Iran.

Saeed Malekpour has been held in the notorious Evin prison for more than three years. He was arrested in October 2008 upon a visit to Iran and has since then endured more than one year in solitary confinement and much brutal physical and psychological torture. In 2008, interrogators of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) extracted more than 30 hours of false confessions from Saeed. These false confessions were used as evidence to issue Saeed’s death sentence.

Last week, the IRGC interrogators attempted to extract more false confessions from Saeed, however he refused to cooperate this time.

People like Saeed, who have never received fair treatment by the Iranian Judiciary, risk execution because they are being used as scapegoats to fulfill the oppressive regime’s shameful crusade against humanity.

So far Foreign Affairs Britain and the U.S. Department of State have released official statements expressing concern regarding Saeed’s imminent execution sentence. In Canada, Hon. Irwin Cotler from the Liberty and the Inter-Parliamentary Group for Human Rights in Iran have taken strong steps of support for Saeed Malekpour and human rights in Iran. Foreign Affairs Canada did and the Prime Minister have not released any official statements regarding Saeed’s death sentence confirmation.

ICHR is planning for another protest in Ottawa, in front of Iran Embassy.