Mother of Saeed Malekpour Appeals to Tehran Prosecutor for Her Son's Release After 10 Years in Prison

The mother of Saeed Malekpour, a web designer, has written a letter to the Tehran prosecutor requesting the release and leave of her son after 10 years in prison. According to Ensaf News, she stated in the letter that her son 'if he has committed any crime, 10 hard years, several of which he spent in solitary confinement or closed prison, is enough for him.' She also mentioned that her son 'has not even received a leave after all these years, where every moment has felt like a year for us.' Additionally, she referred to the promise made by the head of the judiciary for a 'widespread and unprecedented amnesty' for prisoners and requested that her son be included in this list. The head of the judiciary announced that on the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic would issue a directive for 'widespread amnesty' for prisoners, but the Tehran prosecutor stated that this amnesty would not include 'security' prisoners. Saeed Malekpour returned to Tehran in October 2008 to visit his sick father, where he was arrested. Mr. Malekpour's father passed away during his imprisonment, and he was not granted leave to attend his father's funeral. Saeed Malekpour was initially sentenced to death, but this sentence was eventually reduced to life imprisonment. The charges against Mr. Malekpour were related to the use of pornography websites utilizing his software for photo sharing on the internet. His lawyers and family have repeatedly emphasized that Saeed Malekpour was merely the inventor of this software and had no knowledge of its use. Mr. Malekpour was transferred to Taleghani Hospital in Tehran on October 19 due to a previous attack and was returned to prison four days later.