When: 15 December 2018
Where: Toronto Centre for the Arts- 5040 Yonge St, North York, ON M2N 6R8, Canada
What: American Iranian comedian Maz Jobrani will use his tour date in Toronto to support the campaign calling for the release of Canadian permanent resident Saeed Malekpour who is unjustly incarcerated in Iran. The International Observatory of Human Rights will partner with Amnesty International Canada to support Saeed’s sister Maryam at this event.

Saeed Malekpour has spent the last ten years living in terrible conditions in an Iranian prison. Like other dual nationals and permanent residents, he is being held in complete disregard of his foreign status and with next to no engagement with, or responses to, the Canadian government.  

Saeed was a web developer and became a permanent Canadian resident in 2004. He went on a short trip back to Iran in 2008 to spend time with his dying father. Officials from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards detained him on the street without an arrest warrant on 4 October 2008. Saeed was given a death sentence for simply creating an open source program designed to allow users to share photographs on the internet which, the Iranian authorities said was used on pornographic websites- although not by Saeed.

Maryam Malekpour has tirelessly campaigned for her brother’s release for the last ten years. Saeed’s death sentence was commuted to life, but he remains in jail with his health in steady decline without access to proper medical care.  Overwhelming injustice has stained each phase of Saeed Malekpour’s story, from his arrest and mistreatment in detention, to his trial, conviction and sentencing.
 
Maz Jobrani will use his stage at the Toronto Centre for the Arts as a platform to generate awareness and support for Saeed’s campaign joining together with Maryam Malekpour, The International Observatory of Human Rights and Amnesty International Canada to call for his release and safe return home to Canada.

www.freesaeednow.org   www.observatoryihr.org   www.amnesty.ca

IOHR Media Contact:

For more information and to arrange press interviews, please contact:

Mr Ash Naji, Head of Communications
International Observatory of Human Rights.
Tel: +44 (0) 7826 062 541
Email: [email protected]

About IOHR

The International Observatory of Human Rights was established in 2017 in London as an independent non-profit and non-governmental organisation.

The team is made up of human rights professionals, lawyers, researchers, award-winning journalists and academics of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.

IOHR utilises its unique access and the expertise of its multilingual staff to advocate for human rights worldwide.

The International Observatory of Human Rights has created partnerships with local and international human rights groups. The IOHR advocacy team meets with governments, members of parliament and global groups such as the European Union, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and businesses to drive and promote positive changes and push for justice and the respect of human rights worldwide.

Valerie Peay, the Director of IOHR brought her multi-decade international experience in transformation and TV from the corporate world into the field of human rights, using her business knowledge to drive positive outcomes.