8 Years Later: Saeed Malekpour Is Still In An Iranian Prison Simply For Writing Open Source Software
from the free-saeed dept
We talk a great deal on Techdirt about the importance of free speech alongside the importance of not damning technological tools for the way third parties choose to use them. These matters can delve into minutiae in the American and Western forms of this conversation, with discussions about Section 230 protections and the like. But in other parts of the world, the conversation is much different.
Back in 2008 in Iran, for instance, the government there elected to imprison a Canadian resident of Iranian lineage, initially under a death sentence, but later commuting that sentence to mere life imprisonment. His crime? Saeed Malekpour created some open source code for sharing photos on the internet that others within Iran used for pornography.
Saeed was living in Canada as a permanent resident before he embarked on what was supposed to be a short trip to Iran in October 2008. While visiting his father in Iran, authorities decided to target Malekpour for his open source software program that others had used to upload pornographic images to the Internet.
His story is one of many that exemplify the fear Iranian authorities use to control the nation's Internet space. Saeed was charged with threatening the nation's Islamic ideals and national security via propaganda against the system, but evidence against him was scant. He spent time in solitary confinement and gave forced confessions — widely publicized on national television in 2010 — that were extracted under torture, including beatings, electrocution and threats of rape.
This follows the Iranian tradition of tamping down on the freedom and outcry of its own citizens by making examples of others. The guilt or innocence of these others is hardly relevant to this practice. In the case of Saeed, the target was the sharing tool, not the porn that others might have used it for. It's no mistake that Saeed's arrest came directly in the wake of the Iranian government's 2008 legislation blitz aimed at curtailing a free and open internet presence within its borders.
While groups like the EFF have been calling for his release for some time now, they are also currently running a campaign to help him through a letter-writing blitz targeted at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. On Tuesday, the anniversary of Saeed's arrest, #FreeSaeed made its way around Twitter.
For those of us who believe in not only a free and open internet, but in the freedom to create and evolve digital tools -- without having to fear being targeted for the actions of others, particularly for benign actions like pornography -- it's a cause worth joining.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: free speech, iran, open internet, open source software, photo posting, saeed malekpour
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
What Software ?
I guess the problem was it had a copyright or CC stapment with his name in ?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: What Software ?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: What Software ?
It may have been taken down offline now.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
'Interesting' standards
Torture, beatings, electrocutions and threats of rape to extract confessions = Just another day in Iran.
I suppose when you've made it clear to the populous that dissent or questioning those in charge is punishable by death such trivialities as being logically consistent and/or not abhorrent psychopaths is seen as too much work.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: 'Interesting' standards
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: 'Interesting' standards
Threats of rape? A-OK.
(shakes head)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: 'Interesting' standards
It's cognitive dissonance, pure and simple. What a bunch of hypocrites.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
We do the same thing in the states,
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
and the lesson here is
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Tip of the iceburg
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Tip of the iceburg
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Hypocritical
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Hypocritical
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Benign?!
That said, I've got a lot of sympathy for Saeed; all he did was create a sharing tool. It's not his fault if other people used it to share items the government doesn't want shared.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]