For eight long and often desperate years, Saeed Malekpour has been locked in the dungeonlike cells of Iran’s Evin Prison, condemned for crimes he did not commit. He was freed in an amnesty after 15 months in prison — six of them spent in the cellblock where Malekpour is now held. “Saeed has breathing problems, he has been through torture but he is trying to keep up his spirits,” Azizi said. Under the Harper government, an all-party vote to save Malekpour from a death sentence was followed by its reduction to life in prison. In that situation, every day you think you’ll die.”Campaign to Free Saeed Malekpour will feature a panel of speakers from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, at the University of Toronto Earth Sciences Centre, 5 Bancroft Ave., room 1050.

Source: thestar February 02, 2017 23:44 UTC