Iran: Saeed Malekpour repents in face of death penalty

Saeed Malekpour

Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian computer programmer who has been jailed and sentenced to death in Iran, has reportedly "expressed remorse and repented", allowing his lawyer to apply for clemency in his case.

On Saturday, the Mehr News Agency reported that Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabyi, Malekpour's lawyer, confirmed that his client's death sentence has been approved by the Supreme Court.

Malekpour, a 35-year-old engineering graduate of Iran's Sanati Sharif University and a software developer, arrived in Iran in 2008 from Canada, where he was residing, and was arrested by Iranian authorities.

He was charged with "propaganda against the regime by designing pornographic sites, insulting sanctities, insulting the leader and the president, and corruption on earth" and he confessed to the charges in a television interview aired on Iranian state television.

Malekpour's lawyer said: "My client has expressed remorse about his former actions and, having repented in prison, he is calling for a reduction in his sentence, but the judiciary has not made its decision yet."

Following his televised confession, Malekpour wrote a letter to the head of Iran's judiciary, claiming that all of his statements were made "under severe pressure, torture and false promises of release."

Source: Radio Zamaneh, October 1, 2012

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