Web Programmer At Risk of Execution In Iran
This is from Amnesty International.
Web programmer Saeed Malekpour could be executed at any time in Iran. His death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 17 January 2012 and a court official has indicated that his death sentence may have now been sent for implementation.
Saeed Malekpour, a resident of Canada and Iranian national, aged 36, was again sentenced to death on 19 October 2011 by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, and it was confirmed by Branch 32 of the Supreme Court on 17 January 2012. On 14 February 2012, one of Saeed Malekpour’s lawyers visited both courts to ask about his case, but learned that the file was being held at neither court. Comments from a court official suggested that this is because Saeed Malekpour’s file has been sent to the Office of Implementation of Sentences.
Saeed Malekpour was sentenced to death for “insulting and desecrating Islam” after a program he had developed for uploading photos online had been used to post pornographic images without his knowledge. Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death in October 2010 following a trial that reportedly only lasted 15 minutes. After a June 2011 announcement that the Supreme Court had returned the case for further review, Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court imposed again the death sentence as well as prison sentence of seven and a-half years. Amnesty International understands that although he has legal representation now, for much of his detention Saeed Malekpour has had no access to legal counsel.
Saeed Malekpour had been living in Canada since 2005, but was arrested in October 2008 while visiting his family in Iran. He was allegedly tortured while held for over a year in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin prison. In 2009, Iranian state television repeatedly aired a “confession” by Saeed. In an open letter dated March 2010, Saeed Malekpour stated his “confession” was extracted after prolonged torture following orders by Revolutionary Guard interrogators.
I see many e-mails like this. To the Iranians justice seems to be a word with seven-letters and that is all.
This one touched me, as I’ve written programs to upload pictures and othe files to the Internet. As far as I know no-one has used them for any illicit purposes.
Un-American Activities
The Times devotes its second leading article to their process of shipping people halfway across the world to stand trial without the evidence being tested in a court of law, where the accused has had the opportunity of testing the evidence.
The article finishes with this paragraph.
The national interest of the US lies in living up to its own rhetoric, and demonstrating that, wherever someone lives, the American promise of freedom under the law extends to them. Arresting people and shipping them half way across the world without a fair trial is the sort of thing that the founding fathers made it their life’s work to prevent.
The sooner we call time on this law the better.
What worries me is that I have a common name, which is probably one of the most common in the English-speaking world. Suppose the United States said say, that I was behind some notorious Internet hack, would I get the justice of having the evidence tested in a British Court. Possibly not, because Tony Blair signed my rights away, just as he did to everybody other British citizen, who lives peaceably within the law in the UK.
Our Crazy Extradition Laws
I actually think that to extradite Abu Qatada to Jordan to stand trial might be the wrong thing to do. Although many in this country from Lord Carlile and the Prime Minister downwards think he should go.
But then I also think to leave him here might be the wrong thing to do as well. If you read about him on the Internet he has annoyed a lot of powerful and/or nasty people, who have a record of making sure people they don’t like, can’t hurt them.
But then we are quite happy to send people to the United States, as we did with the NatWest Three and are soon to do with Christopher Tappin and a few others, due to Tony Blair’s one-sided extradition treaty, that he signed to curry favour with the United States.
It all doesn’t seem fair, that we have no control over our extradition process. Either the European Court stops us or we just say yes to the United States.
The Bailing of Abu Qatada
In some ways this might be the best thing, as I suspect that it will be easier to monitor him outside of jail than inside it. I also think inside of jail, it will be easier to convert people to his stupid views. Various reports have shown that jails are a fertile recruiting ground for extremists of all kinds. And not just Islamic!
If we can’t pick up all conversations and communications, we aren’t as bright as we think we are. But he’s made some powerful enemies, who don’t have any qualms about killing who they want to.
And I don’t mean the US! They could get him to a US court very easily if they wanted to, because of Blair’s one-sided deal over extradition.
Our biggest problem, will probably be stopping someone killing him. After all, every right wing nutter might think, they could have their five minutes of fame. But then most of them aren’t that brave and don’t like the thought of life in jail. Indiscriminate car and parcel bombs are more their style rather than targeted assassinations.
Is This The Sickest Lawsuit Ever?
David Belniak was drunk, had taken cocaine and Xanax, when he crashed his car at 88 mph into the back of someone else’s in a 55 mph zone and killed all four occupants. He got a twelve year sentence and you can read the whole story here in the Daily Mail.
He is now suing the relatives of those he killed for the mental anguish he went through.
Why Not A John Lewis Prison?
John Podmore, who has run prisons for many years has written a book called Out of Sight, Out of Mind, which describes why Britain’s prisons are failing.
On BBC Breakfast this morning, he talked about how he went some of the way to making Brixton a community prison, by opening the doors to local businesses, charities and churches. He also indicated seriously that local prisons could be run on John Lewis lines, with all the community having a share.
Now there’s an idea! But I think a good one, as our current penal policy is unsustainable.
Is This Closure On The Stephen Lawrence Case?
The conviction yesterday of Gary Dobson and David Norris for the murder of Stephen Lawrence, only brings a closure to another chapter in the story of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence.
I doubt though this will be the end of it, as too many with vested interests on all sides will not be able to let matters lie.
Amanda Knox and the US Justice System
I have no idea if Amanda Knox was guilty of murder or not.
The Americans put a lot of support behind her in an effort to persuade the Italians to free her, from a possible miscarriage of justice.
But then so many of the people in US jails have been failed by their own justice system. Several have been executed lately who didn’t get a trial with the care shown by the Italians.
But then Amanda Knox was white and intelligent, whereas most of those who suffer injustice in the States are black and illiterate and defended by lawyers, who aren’t the best to say the least.
But then the victim in the Amanda Knox case wasn’t American. We also don’t know how much pressure was put on the Italians. After all their economy is rather rocky and if the United States withdrew support, it would have been serious.
The Tevez Defence
Carlos Tevez got himself off a serious charge by claiming he couldn’t read English according to many reports, including this one in the Mirror.
I would assume that he didn’t have any colleagues or friends, who couldn’t read English either. I once had a spam e-mail in Russian, so I asked one of the builders, who was Lithuanian, what it meant. He said it was spam, so I ignored it.
How long before the defence is used in a serious case like murder or rape? The accused in a rape case could perhaps claim that he didn’t understand what No meant.
Perhaps the best thing we could do is give Tevez six months to learn basic English.
The Anonymous Widower 