7 ms·

Tell Justin Trudeau to Fight for Web Developer Saeed Malekpour

95 points by iamjeff 10y ago

vishalzone2002 10y ago
sad story, i posted it to their facebook post on eid and also emailed people who can probably help..
- iamjeff 10y ago
  This is unbelievably deplorable, it makes me question human decency...a young man's life has changed irrevocably because he developed a photo-sharing tool, not to mention the immeasurable harm and grief that it caused his father (who died knowing full well his son was in the worst of shape, stuck in solitary prison for a 'crime' that he did not commit, and would never get to pay his final respects) and causes his ailing mother...it is deplorable, even unthinkable...a lot certainly can be said about the excesses of Islamic fundamentalism and geopolitics and their role in precipitating countless such scenarios, but the systemic disregard for human welfare is shocking...having lost a parent while I was thousands of miles away, stuck in a world of hurt of my own, I can almost identify with what Malekpour endured...while we can not change the outcome of such cases around the world (and there are many), hopefully, we can help this one individual by spreading the word and saying a prayer or making a thoughtful petition...this more than sucks! vishalzone2002, in the grand scheme of things, I am convinced that your facebook post helped...if only our (global) leaders were as concerned as you were...
  - vishalzone2002 10y ago
    I agree. I have also tried reaching out to few business folks I know in Canada. But either ways, irrespective of religion, anything like this should be alarming to everyone because it can pretty much make anyone's life upside down in a matter of days for no reason.
freddealmeida 10y ago
So we ask a snow board instructor to save a man held by an outrageous government? We also realize that there is so little gain for our little snow boarder. He will do nothing. Canada could probably do little in any case
- untog 10y ago
  Resenting a politician because they once had a low-paid, entry level job is a new one.
  - vthallam 10y ago
    Not really! The current Indian PM was son of a tea seller and i see people making fun of it on social media. I don't even know what to say to these kind of people.
    - astrodust 10y ago
      Yeah, the nerve of someone for understanding what it's like to earn a paycheck and have to work for every dollar you have. How are you ever going to understand your electorate of 0.1% elites?
  - terrywilcox 10y ago
    Especially when our previous Prime Minister started his career working in a mail room.
  - scosman 10y ago
    I worked at Tim Hortons. Can I still be Prime Minister?
    - serge2k 10y ago
      No. You will be drafted to work at Tim Hortons because so many of our fellow Canadians are obsessed with that shitty donut shop.
- 10y ago
dghughes 10y ago
There is also Homa Hoodfar a Canadian professor in jail in the same prison she is gravely ill. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/homa-hoodfar-ill-1.3740392 http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/homa-hoodfar-ill-1.3740392 Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi was beaten to death in 2003 in that same prison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Kazemi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Kazemi
- iamjeff 10y ago
  Utterly touched reading about Kazemi: remarkable that one of her (alleged) murderers was charged with and later acquitted of "semi-intentional murder." What does that even mean? Is it even possible to "half intentionally and half accidentally" murder someone in your care/custody? I gather that this is a concept operational within Quranic law and is generally intended to apply to deaths that resulted from an action that would not threaten a life, but that definition cannot be reconciled with the fact that Kazemi had been so violently assaulted and horrifically murdered (and the unapologetic cover-up and sham trial that ensued). As a Kenyan youth, I hardly know anyone that has not been arrested by the police at one point in their lives (and this is, sadly, the case for many other young men in other parts of the country as well). As such, I have personally heard horror stories from women that I know who have endured unspeakable treatment at the hands of the almighty Kenyan Police Service- it seems that justice touches all races and all countries, except, if you believe it, North Korea, the Land of Human Achievement, Love and Joy. A lot has already been said about such circumstances and a lot more has to said to fight this particular form of injustice. One wonders how many Kazemis and Malekpours and Njoroges it would take to succeed.
  - smnrchrds 10y ago
    To expand on your explanation of semi-intentional murder: in Iranian law, instead of first degree and second degree etc, murders are categorized as: 1. Non-intentional murder: when the defendant did not intend to harm the victim in any way. This is almost equivalent to manslaughter. The penalty includes financial compensation for the victim's next of kin and potential prison sentence. Example: vehicular manslaughter 2. Intentional murder: when the defendant knowingly and intentionally kills a person, whether premeditated or not. This is the closest to fist and second degree murder in US law. The penalty can be up to and including death sentence. 3. Semi-intentional murder: when the defendant did intend to harm the victim but did not intend to cause death. The penalty includes financial compensation and prison time and is more severe than non-intentional murder. Example: a person pushing a man during a fight, inadvertently causing him to fall from a balcony to his death.
Raphmedia 10y ago
It is scary to know that as a Canadian, I can get abducted simply for having contributed to open-source projects. It's even worst knowing that my government won't do anything to help if it happens.
- serge2k 10y ago
  This person isn't a Canadian citizen, he's a permanent resident and a citizen of Iran. Makes a big difference.
  - zouhair 10y ago
    No it doesn't if you are Brown they don't care much like for Mohamed Fahmy[0] or the most egregious one giving a _kid_ to the USA to jail and torture[1]. So, no, if you are not white Canada most likely won't care much unless some huge PR disaster. [0]: http://www.canadalandshow.com/podcast/canada-failing-mohamed-fahmy/ http://www.canadalandshow.com/podcast/canada-failing-mohamed... [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khadr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khadr
    - mthoms 10y ago
      According to Wikipedia Fahmy has been given a presidential pardon and released (he now lives in Vancouver). While I don't know the specifics of this case, presidential pardons in developing nations are usually the result of international pressure. Khadr's case is tragic, but it's a bit disingenuous to claim his treatment was entirely on account of him being "brown". I'm pretty sure the fact he was fighting for the Taliban against his own country was part of the reason he wasn't properly advocated for. There's also the case of two white men being beheaded by terrorists because the Canadian government refused to pay ransom. http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/13/asia/philippines-canada-abu-sayyaf/ http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/13/asia/philippines-canada-abu-sa... Their race didn't seem to affect the position of the government, despite much publicity. Edit:Clarity
    - serge2k 10y ago
      They didn't give a kid to the US, he got taken from Afghanistan by the US after his shitty parents sent him away from Canada. I do agree he was a victim of a horrible family and that Canada should have protected him from the worse things done by the US (torture, ridiculous trials, detainment in gitmo), considering he was a 15 year old citizen of Canada at the time.
sintaxi 10y ago
Saeed Malekpour is not a Canadian citizen. Unless he was abducted from Canadian soil I can't see how the Canadian government can justify involvement.
- mankash666 10y ago
  The justification is based on human rights. Not on citizenship. Any country can pressure Iran to do the right thing, but Canada seems to be the one the coder preferred to live in.
- dannyobrien 10y ago
  Previous Canadian administrations, and the Canadian parliament, have included Saeed's case when criticizing and negotiating with Iran.: it was that stance that in part led to Saeed's previous (two!) death sentences being commuted to life. A return to Canada's previous position would undoubtedly help Saeed now. (I'm the author of the original EFF post)
vlehto 10y ago
>Justin Trudeau Can Restore Saeed's Freedom No he can't. If the reasons for Saeed's arrest are truly as said in the article, it would be immense loss of face to any Iranian politicians to release him. So they won't. If Trudeau does anything to this stuff, there are three options: 1. Give up and lose face yourself. 2. Threaten Iran and lose public image of Canada as the do-good nice guy. 3. Exchange Saeed to something valuable. This would paint Saeed as spy and would save face of everybody involved in that regard. What would be sweet enough for Iran? What Canada has to offer? Lifting trade sanctions prematurely or offering nuclear goods and ballistic missile designs. This would in turn make every ally of Canada pretty mad.
- dannyobrien 10y ago
  At a broad level, you're correct: prisoners like Saeed are often pawns in a wider geopolitical game (in fact, there's an upcoming documentary on this aspect coming out soon, which includes a detailed look at Saeed's case: https://www.facebook.com/filmcheckmate/ https://www.facebook.com/filmcheckmate/ ). However, these negotiations don't work at such a dramatic level as you suggest. For instance, Saeed was originally sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life following external pressure. Mostafa Azizi, the Canadian filmmaker, was released in April. Canada frequently makes strong protestations to Iran, and is currently in the middle of debating whether to restore diplomatic relations with the country. The fate of Canadian prisoners in Iran is clearly tied up with this, including that of Homa Hoodfar, who was arrested earlier this year. While I can't predict what the results of those negotiations would be, whether Saeed is included in the names of prisoners being discussed would have a relatively marginal effect on the cost to either Iran or Canada. What's disturbing is that the previous Canadian government appeared to include Saeed in that equation, whereas Stephane Dion has implied that the new government does not. (The other point I'd make is that the Iranian government, like most governments, is not a monolithic organisation. In particular, the parts of the political administration attempting to improve trade and diplomatic relations with the West is not the part that targeted and sentenced Saeed. Much of the real negotiations and power dynamics are internal to Iran. But that can be positive as well as negative. My impression is that Saeed's detention has served its political purpose for the more strident groups. I don't think, at this stage, years after the original prosecution, that releasing him would be an immense loss of face.
mthoms 10y ago
Canadian citizens should perhaps mention their nationality if they do indeed fill out this email petition. I simply added "I am a Canadian Citizen and voter" to the subject line. Can't hurt.
wppick 10y ago
Tell? I'm sorry, but that's a disrespectful way to phrase your statement -- he isn't even a Canadian citizen. Where do you get your entitlement from?

95 points by iamjeff 10y ago

vishalzone2002 10y ago

sad story, i posted it to their facebook post on eid and also emailed people who can probably help..

iamjeff 10y ago
This is unbelievably deplorable, it makes me question human decency...a young man's life has changed irrevocably because he developed a photo-sharing tool, not to mention the immeasurable harm and grief that it caused his father (who died knowing full well his son was in the worst of shape, stuck in solitary prison for a 'crime' that he did not commit, and would never get to pay his final respects) and causes his ailing mother...it is deplorable, even unthinkable...a lot certainly can be said about the excesses of Islamic fundamentalism and geopolitics and their role in precipitating countless such scenarios, but the systemic disregard for human welfare is shocking...having lost a parent while I was thousands of miles away, stuck in a world of hurt of my own, I can almost identify with what Malekpour endured...while we can not change the outcome of such cases around the world (and there are many), hopefully, we can help this one individual by spreading the word and saying a prayer or making a thoughtful petition...this more than sucks! vishalzone2002, in the grand scheme of things, I am convinced that your facebook post helped...if only our (global) leaders were as concerned as you were...
- vishalzone2002 10y ago
  I agree. I have also tried reaching out to few business folks I know in Canada. But either ways, irrespective of religion, anything like this should be alarming to everyone because it can pretty much make anyone's life upside down in a matter of days for no reason.

freddealmeida 10y ago

So we ask a snow board instructor to save a man held by an outrageous government? We also realize that there is so little gain for our little snow boarder. He will do nothing. Canada could probably do little in any case

untog 10y ago
Resenting a politician because they once had a low-paid, entry level job is a new one.
- vthallam 10y ago
  Not really! The current Indian PM was son of a tea seller and i see people making fun of it on social media. I don't even know what to say to these kind of people.
  - astrodust 10y ago
    Yeah, the nerve of someone for understanding what it's like to earn a paycheck and have to work for every dollar you have. How are you ever going to understand your electorate of 0.1% elites?
- terrywilcox 10y ago
  Especially when our previous Prime Minister started his career working in a mail room.
- scosman 10y ago
  I worked at Tim Hortons. Can I still be Prime Minister?
  - serge2k 10y ago
    No. You will be drafted to work at Tim Hortons because so many of our fellow Canadians are obsessed with that shitty donut shop.
10y ago

dghughes 10y ago

There is also Homa Hoodfar a Canadian professor in jail in the same prison she is gravely ill. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/homa-hoodfar-ill-1.3740392 http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/homa-hoodfar-ill-1.3740392 Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi was beaten to death in 2003 in that same prison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Kazemi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zahra_Kazemi

iamjeff 10y ago
Utterly touched reading about Kazemi: remarkable that one of her (alleged) murderers was charged with and later acquitted of "semi-intentional murder." What does that even mean? Is it even possible to "half intentionally and half accidentally" murder someone in your care/custody? I gather that this is a concept operational within Quranic law and is generally intended to apply to deaths that resulted from an action that would not threaten a life, but that definition cannot be reconciled with the fact that Kazemi had been so violently assaulted and horrifically murdered (and the unapologetic cover-up and sham trial that ensued). As a Kenyan youth, I hardly know anyone that has not been arrested by the police at one point in their lives (and this is, sadly, the case for many other young men in other parts of the country as well). As such, I have personally heard horror stories from women that I know who have endured unspeakable treatment at the hands of the almighty Kenyan Police Service- it seems that justice touches all races and all countries, except, if you believe it, North Korea, the Land of Human Achievement, Love and Joy. A lot has already been said about such circumstances and a lot more has to said to fight this particular form of injustice. One wonders how many Kazemis and Malekpours and Njoroges it would take to succeed.
- smnrchrds 10y ago
  To expand on your explanation of semi-intentional murder: in Iranian law, instead of first degree and second degree etc, murders are categorized as: 1. Non-intentional murder: when the defendant did not intend to harm the victim in any way. This is almost equivalent to manslaughter. The penalty includes financial compensation for the victim's next of kin and potential prison sentence. Example: vehicular manslaughter 2. Intentional murder: when the defendant knowingly and intentionally kills a person, whether premeditated or not. This is the closest to fist and second degree murder in US law. The penalty can be up to and including death sentence. 3. Semi-intentional murder: when the defendant did intend to harm the victim but did not intend to cause death. The penalty includes financial compensation and prison time and is more severe than non-intentional murder. Example: a person pushing a man during a fight, inadvertently causing him to fall from a balcony to his death.

Raphmedia 10y ago

It is scary to know that as a Canadian, I can get abducted simply for having contributed to open-source projects. It's even worst knowing that my government won't do anything to help if it happens.

serge2k 10y ago
This person isn't a Canadian citizen, he's a permanent resident and a citizen of Iran. Makes a big difference.
- zouhair 10y ago
  No it doesn't if you are Brown they don't care much like for Mohamed Fahmy[0] or the most egregious one giving a _kid_ to the USA to jail and torture[1]. So, no, if you are not white Canada most likely won't care much unless some huge PR disaster. [0]: http://www.canadalandshow.com/podcast/canada-failing-mohamed-fahmy/ http://www.canadalandshow.com/podcast/canada-failing-mohamed... [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khadr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Khadr
  - mthoms 10y ago
    According to Wikipedia Fahmy has been given a presidential pardon and released (he now lives in Vancouver). While I don't know the specifics of this case, presidential pardons in developing nations are usually the result of international pressure. Khadr's case is tragic, but it's a bit disingenuous to claim his treatment was entirely on account of him being "brown". I'm pretty sure the fact he was fighting for the Taliban against his own country was part of the reason he wasn't properly advocated for. There's also the case of two white men being beheaded by terrorists because the Canadian government refused to pay ransom. http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/13/asia/philippines-canada-abu-sayyaf/ http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/13/asia/philippines-canada-abu-sa... Their race didn't seem to affect the position of the government, despite much publicity. Edit:Clarity
  - serge2k 10y ago
    They didn't give a kid to the US, he got taken from Afghanistan by the US after his shitty parents sent him away from Canada. I do agree he was a victim of a horrible family and that Canada should have protected him from the worse things done by the US (torture, ridiculous trials, detainment in gitmo), considering he was a 15 year old citizen of Canada at the time.

sintaxi 10y ago

Saeed Malekpour is not a Canadian citizen. Unless he was abducted from Canadian soil I can't see how the Canadian government can justify involvement.

mankash666 10y ago
The justification is based on human rights. Not on citizenship. Any country can pressure Iran to do the right thing, but Canada seems to be the one the coder preferred to live in.
dannyobrien 10y ago
Previous Canadian administrations, and the Canadian parliament, have included Saeed's case when criticizing and negotiating with Iran.: it was that stance that in part led to Saeed's previous (two!) death sentences being commuted to life. A return to Canada's previous position would undoubtedly help Saeed now. (I'm the author of the original EFF post)

vlehto 10y ago

>Justin Trudeau Can Restore Saeed's Freedom No he can't. If the reasons for Saeed's arrest are truly as said in the article, it would be immense loss of face to any Iranian politicians to release him. So they won't. If Trudeau does anything to this stuff, there are three options: 1. Give up and lose face yourself. 2. Threaten Iran and lose public image of Canada as the do-good nice guy. 3. Exchange Saeed to something valuable. This would paint Saeed as spy and would save face of everybody involved in that regard. What would be sweet enough for Iran? What Canada has to offer? Lifting trade sanctions prematurely or offering nuclear goods and ballistic missile designs. This would in turn make every ally of Canada pretty mad.

dannyobrien 10y ago
At a broad level, you're correct: prisoners like Saeed are often pawns in a wider geopolitical game (in fact, there's an upcoming documentary on this aspect coming out soon, which includes a detailed look at Saeed's case: https://www.facebook.com/filmcheckmate/ https://www.facebook.com/filmcheckmate/ ). However, these negotiations don't work at such a dramatic level as you suggest. For instance, Saeed was originally sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life following external pressure. Mostafa Azizi, the Canadian filmmaker, was released in April. Canada frequently makes strong protestations to Iran, and is currently in the middle of debating whether to restore diplomatic relations with the country. The fate of Canadian prisoners in Iran is clearly tied up with this, including that of Homa Hoodfar, who was arrested earlier this year. While I can't predict what the results of those negotiations would be, whether Saeed is included in the names of prisoners being discussed would have a relatively marginal effect on the cost to either Iran or Canada. What's disturbing is that the previous Canadian government appeared to include Saeed in that equation, whereas Stephane Dion has implied that the new government does not. (The other point I'd make is that the Iranian government, like most governments, is not a monolithic organisation. In particular, the parts of the political administration attempting to improve trade and diplomatic relations with the West is not the part that targeted and sentenced Saeed. Much of the real negotiations and power dynamics are internal to Iran. But that can be positive as well as negative. My impression is that Saeed's detention has served its political purpose for the more strident groups. I don't think, at this stage, years after the original prosecution, that releasing him would be an immense loss of face.

mthoms 10y ago

Canadian citizens should perhaps mention their nationality if they do indeed fill out this email petition. I simply added "I am a Canadian Citizen and voter" to the subject line. Can't hurt.

wppick 10y ago

Tell? I'm sorry, but that's a disrespectful way to phrase your statement -- he isn't even a Canadian citizen. Where do you get your entitlement from?