Canadian Web Programmer Sentenced To Die In Iran

Tomorrow, voters will head to the polls for parliamentary elections in Iran, but artists, journalists, students and other activists won't be casting votes since they will be in jail. One of them is Saeed Malekpour. He was charged with "desecrating and insulting Islam" for writing a web program that was used - without his knowledge- for uploading pornographic images. He had originally created the program to enable people to upload photos.

Amnesty International has organized a campaign to compel the Iranian government to cease its crackdown on "cyber crimes", which began in 2009. Malekpour was arrested in 2008 while in Iran visiting family. He was held in solitary confinement for a year, tortured and forced to make a "confession" that aired on Iranian television. He was sentences to death in October 2010 and his death sentence was upheld in January.

Join the effort here: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=517287&msource=W1203EAIAR01&tr=y&auid=10380625