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Malekpour created porn websites. In particular, he created Persian porn websites - porn websites targeted at people who read Persian. Porn websites are agains

Malekpour created porn websites. In particular, he created Persian porn websites - porn websites targeted at people who read Persian. Porn websites are against the law in Iran. He's an Iranian citizen. He traveled to Iran. I strongly disapprove of censorship, particularly censorship of the "death" kind. But he should perhaps have been a little bit more discerning about his travel plans. This anti-porn thing is not new or unexpected. What did he think would happen?

skymt 15y ago
The story I saw claimed that Malekpour developed open-source file-upload software that was later used by porn sites without his knowledge. Do you have a source for your claim that he was directly involved with the porn sites themselves? http://thenextweb.com/me/2012/01/19/death-sentence-for-iranian-programmer-accused-of-developing-software-used-by-porn-sites/ http://thenextweb.com/me/2012/01/19/death-sentence-for-irani...
nathanwdavis 15y ago
He was visiting his terminally-ill father.
cullenking 15y ago
From my understanding, he didn't create porn sites, he created a piece of open source software that porn sites have used. The last claims I read said they were forcing confessions from him via torture.
pooriaazimi 15y ago
From Wikipedia[1]: In October 2008, Malekpour visited his dying father in Iran. And he didn't create porn websites; he created photo-uploading softwares that were (later, and he says without his knowledge) used in porn sites. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saeed_Malekpour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saeed_Malekpour
shin_lao 15y ago
So you're saying it's his fault if he's going to get executed? Next time you break the law and you get fined for it, I truly hope you will not complain because I'll teleport right next to you and say "what did you think would happen?". And we'll have a good laugh about it, because you will not die.
- bwarp 15y ago
  I think the OP is saying "don't fuck with the government or you will end up gone"
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
gm 15y ago
I don't know why HN people downvote comments like yours. It seems you raise valid questions on your post. Anyway, I think Malekpour should not have worked on those things, even for moral reasons. You cannot reason with a snake. For the same reason I do not write stuff about Mexican drug cartels. I have family there, and I want them to remain alive (and in one piece), and I would like to remain able to visit without looking over my shoulder and endangering my family. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google for "mexican blogger deaths". "Pick your fights" really applies to dealing with criminals and governments such as Iran's.
- Karunamon 15y ago
  >I don't know why HN people downvote comments like yours. Because it's patently false!! He did not create porn sites, he created a piece of software which was later used by porn sites. Huge difference.
  - gm 15y ago
    But who is making the accusations? The person who got the downvote or someone else?
    - Karunamon 15y ago
      Look at the post. >Malekpour created porn websites. Completely and totally false.
    - artmageddon 15y ago
      The government is accusing him of having worked on porn sites, but all he did was write generic uploader code and make it available for any other site to use. It just so happens that the porn site used his code, but the author wasn't aware of it. It would be akin to a kitchen knife manufacturer being charged for murder because someone was used their knives in a stabbing.
      - gm 15y ago
        I understand that. What I'm saying is that downvoting the guy is simply killing the messenger.

skymt 15y ago

The story I saw claimed that Malekpour developed open-source file-upload software that was later used by porn sites without his knowledge. Do you have a source for your claim that he was directly involved with the porn sites themselves? http://thenextweb.com/me/2012/01/19/death-sentence-for-iranian-programmer-accused-of-developing-software-used-by-porn-sites/ http://thenextweb.com/me/2012/01/19/death-sentence-for-irani...

nathanwdavis 15y ago

He was visiting his terminally-ill father.

cullenking 15y ago

From my understanding, he didn't create porn sites, he created a piece of open source software that porn sites have used. The last claims I read said they were forcing confessions from him via torture.

pooriaazimi 15y ago

From Wikipedia[1]: In October 2008, Malekpour visited his dying father in Iran. And he didn't create porn websites; he created photo-uploading softwares that were (later, and he says without his knowledge) used in porn sites. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saeed_Malekpour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saeed_Malekpour

shin_lao 15y ago

So you're saying it's his fault if he's going to get executed? Next time you break the law and you get fined for it, I truly hope you will not complain because I'll teleport right next to you and say "what did you think would happen?". And we'll have a good laugh about it, because you will not die.

bwarp 15y ago
I think the OP is saying "don't fuck with the government or you will end up gone"

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

gm 15y ago

I don't know why HN people downvote comments like yours. It seems you raise valid questions on your post. Anyway, I think Malekpour should not have worked on those things, even for moral reasons. You cannot reason with a snake. For the same reason I do not write stuff about Mexican drug cartels. I have family there, and I want them to remain alive (and in one piece), and I would like to remain able to visit without looking over my shoulder and endangering my family. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google for "mexican blogger deaths". "Pick your fights" really applies to dealing with criminals and governments such as Iran's.

Karunamon 15y ago
>I don't know why HN people downvote comments like yours. Because it's patently false!! He did not create porn sites, he created a piece of software which was later used by porn sites. Huge difference.
- gm 15y ago
  But who is making the accusations? The person who got the downvote or someone else?
  - Karunamon 15y ago
    Look at the post. >Malekpour created porn websites. Completely and totally false.
  - artmageddon 15y ago
    The government is accusing him of having worked on porn sites, but all he did was write generic uploader code and make it available for any other site to use. It just so happens that the porn site used his code, but the author wasn't aware of it. It would be akin to a kitchen knife manufacturer being charged for murder because someone was used their knives in a stabbing.
    - gm 15y ago
      I understand that. What I'm saying is that downvoting the guy is simply killing the messenger.