Mohammad Hossein Maleki, the manager of Asre-Javan website and its Telegram channel, was sentenced to death on the charge of "corruption on earth."
According to a close source, Mohammad Hossein Maleki, 47, from Shahin Shahr in Isfahan, was arrested by the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on March 1, 2017. Having been the manager of Asre-Javan website and Telegram channel before the arrest, he was in solitary confinement for 3 months.
A close source who spoke with IHR on condition of anonymity, told, "The website focused on different practical and cultural subjects, besides, there were some CCcam satellite TV accounts for sale which are the common accounts that are sold in Iran."
Mohammad Hossein Maleki was sentenced to "corruption on earth through organized activities regarding the sale of CCcam and several satellite accounts" at Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan.
In the early stages of the investigation, the interrogator had ordered for suspension of prosecution for Mohammad Hossein Maleki, however, the prosecutor objected the order and the case was sent to the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, and then to the Supreme Court, and finally to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Isfahan.
A part of Maleki's verdict, which IHR has reviewed, mentions, "In his statements, he (Mohammad Hossein Maleki) admitted to his activities regarding electronic commerce, developing a website for satellite TV receiver repairs, publishing advertisements, and sharing satellite channels on the internet and said that he intended to make sport shows, movies, and documentaries available on his website and never intended to share pornography. He stated that he only wanted to make money."
Another part of the verdict mentions, "Considering the contents of the case including the first report of the statements of the defendant during the investigation and developing the website and different channels with financial motives and claiming that the contents of the channels were not obscene but vulgar and also considering the sale of CCcam with vulgar content to 850 people which proves his extensive activity and also due to his connection with people abroad...he is subject to Article 286 of the Islamic Penal Code and, therefore, the court sentences him to death penalty."
Mohammad Hossein Maleki is currently held at the general ward of Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan.
Source: Iran Human Rights, July 14, 2018
Man Sentenced to Death in Iran Denies He Sold Porn Channel Subscriptions
A man who sold Iranians access cards for satellite television has been sentenced to death for "corruption on earth" the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned.
In his verdict issued July 12, 2018, Judge Pour-Rezaei (1st name unknown) of Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, central Iran, accused Mohammad Hossein Maleki of selling access cards that included pornographic channels - a charge Maleki has denied.
The 47-year-old administrator of the Asre Javan website, Maleki, also known as "Arian," sold cards for the CCcam website, which claims to offer digital access to more than 6,000 television channels around the world for 10 euros per month.
"Arian agreed that he was in the electronics business to set up websites to sell satellite equipment and get subscribers for satellite channels via the internet with the intention to access sports show, films, and documentaries, but rejected selling porn channels," said one of his associates in an interview with CHRI on July 13.
Satellite TV is banned in Iran but millions of people watch it at home with equipment and access cards widely available on the black market.
"For years I was his manager at Asre Iran selling CCcam accounts, which is a common business in Iran involving a lot of people. If his punishment is the death penalty, that means hundreds of people should be hanged," added the associate who asked not to be identified for security purposes.
"The authorities don't have anything against him. They couldn't even get a confession out of him," the source told CHRI. "But it was a mistake not to publicize his case until he was sentenced some 16 months later. We all made a mistake."
Maleki was arrested on March 1, 2017, but his family chose not to inform the media.
Married with 2 children, Maleki is being held at Isfahan's Dastgerd Prison.
In September 2010, a Revolutionary Court sentenced Iranian-born Canadian permanent resident Saeed Malekpour to death for allegedly creating an online pornographic network but the sentence was ultimately commuted from death to life imprisonment in August 2013.
Source: Iran Human Rights, July 17, 2018
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