The International Centre for Human Rights: Amnesty International has called on the Iranian authorities to immediately release Saeed Malekpour or bring him to trial on criminal charges in legal proceedings that fully confirm to international fair trial standards. Saeed Malekpour is a 35-year-old web designer and permanent resident of Canada.

Saeed Malekpour was sentenced to death in December 2010 following what appears to have been an unfair trial, without access to his lawyer. In March 2010, he wrote an open letter in which he declared that his confessions were extracted under immense pressure, torture, and false promises of release. He reported that he was forced to confess to crimes which he did not commit. He is detained in Evin Prison, has spent more than 12 months in solitary confinement and has been denied access to books, newspapers, and contact with the outside world. His death sentence was quashed in June 2011 after his defence lawyers were finally able to provide expert evidence to the courts.

Amnesty International welcomes the fact that his death sentence has been quashed, however, Mr. Malekapour remains detained for offences which he insists he did not commit. It is essential that he be granted a fair trial.

 

Take Action

Write a letter to the Iranian authorites. Welcome the information that the death sentence against Mr. Malkapour has been quashed, and request that they:

  • Guarantee that Saeed Malekpour will not face the death sentence.
  • Release him immediately or bring him to trial on criminal charges in legal proceedings that fully confirm to international fair trial standards.
  • Provide Mr. Malekpour with unrestricted access to his lawyer, and any medical treatment he may require.
  • Immediately conduct an impartial investigation into Mr. Malekpour’s allegations of torture while he has been detained. Anyone found responsible for abuse should be brought to justice promptly and fairly.
  • Ensure that any “confession” he may have made as a result of torture is not admitted as evidence against him, as this would violate Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Iran is a state party.