Saeed Malekpour Campaign – On June 5, 2014 imprisoned techie Saeed Malekpour turns 39 years old in Evin Prison. To commemorate his birthday we’re drawing attention to his case on Twitter. Join NGOs, activists, and concerned citizens around the world for the all-day Tweet Storm on Thursday, June 5th. Make sure you join in at the peak of the storm, 1pm EST.
Thousands of people around the world will mark Saeed Malekpour’s 39th birthday on Thursday with a tweet storm on social media. More information via the Toronto Star’s Olivia Ward
Won’t have time to tweet on June 5th?UseHootsuite.comto schedule your tweets from beforehand.
“Like” the official Facebook Page for Saeed Malekpour’s Global Campaign
GOALS OF THE TWEET STORM
- To spread awareness about Saeed Malekpour’s situation and remind Iranians and the international community, including media and world authorities, that this web programmer is still locked up behind bars since his arrest in October 2008.
- To urge the international community to help Saeed and his family seek justice by calling on Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to do the right thing by releasing the #techie from prison.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Tweet Storms
1) WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?
- Tweet messages related to the campaign’s goals as often as you wish. During the peak hour of the tweet storm, 1pm EST on June 5th, it is recommended that you tweet once every two minutes.
- You can either create your own original tweets or copy the tweets that the campaign has provided as suggestions below (scroll down)
- Remember to include the hashtag #HBDSaeed in every tweet.
2) WHY DO I NEED TO INCLUDE THE SPECIAL HASHTAG?
- When you include #HBDSaeed in your tweets you’re contributing to the growth and popularity of the Tweet Storm campaign.
- The more recognition the Tweet Storm receives then more we increase the chances of #HBDSaeed trending on Twitter. If enough people use #HBDSaeed we can get Saeed Malekpour’s cause to be featured on Twitter’s top trends section. A trending hashtag gains the attention of the media and world powers.
3) DO I HAVE TO PARTICIPATE FOR THE FULL DAY?
No. You can participate in the Tweet Storm as much as you like, even if you like to just tweet once.
4) IS IT TRUE, IF YOU TWEET TOO FAST THAT TWITTER WILL SUSPEND YOUR ACCOUNT TEMPORARILY?
- If you tweet too fast (more than one tweet tweet every 30 seconds) then Twitter bots may detect your activities as spamming. In order to avoid any issues on Twitter, it is best to tweet at most once every two minutes.
5) SHOULD I TAG TWITTER HANDLES IN MY TWEETS?
- We suggest you send SOME of your tweets to world leaders and media groups as an FYI. Please avoid activity that could land you in “Twitter jail”.
- Here are some suggested Twitter handles to tag in some of your tweets via Unlock Iran.
6) CAN I PARTICIPATE IF I DON’T HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT?
- No. You need a Twitter account or access to one in order to participate in a Tweet Storm.
- Just open a Twitter account; it doesn’t need to be a personalized one including your personal or private information.
- Please make sure your Twitter account is set to public in order for your tweets to be visible.
SUGGESTED TWEETS
You can just copy and paste any of the tweets below onto your Twitter:
- #June5th techie Saeed Malekpour turns 39 in Evin Prison- his 6th consecutive birthday behind bars. #HBDSaeed #Iran #Canada
- Please help be an imprisoned techie’s voice for justice. #HBDSaeed
- Amnesty Toronto has released a @YouTube video http://goo.gl/gsfpAs in commemoration of Saeed Malekpour’s 39th birthday. #HBDSaeed!
- We’re tweeting in support of #techie Saeed Malekpour for his 39th birthday on June 5! #HBDSaeed
- Use #HBDSaeed to Tweet in support of prisoner of rights Saeed Malekpour & call for his release http://on.thestar.com/1nh7BWm @TorontoStar #Iran
- #HBDSaeed. May your gift be your homecoming party. #Canada
- Saeed Malekpour wrote this letter from prison in defense of the charges against him: http://goo.gl/rHY8Qu #HBDSaeed
- نامه تکاندهنده #سعید_ملکپور از بند ۳۵۰ اوین/ شرح بازجویی، شکنجه و اخذ اعترافات اجباری از وی http://goo.gl/q6S35P #HBDSaeed
- #HBDSaeed, you’re not alone. #Iran #Canada
- [you can include the poster with this tweet, perhaps create URL for poster?]
- Happy 39th Birthday to Saeed Malekpour. In prison on false charges for the past 6 years, and counting. Free Saeed now! #HBDSaeed
- Thousands of people around the world are marking #SaeedMalekpour’s 39th birthday on #June5th with a tweet storm. #HBDSaeed
- It’s as though somebody who created @instagram was arrested because some user posted nude shots. – @GissouNia #HBDSaeed #Iran
- Saeed’s locked in #Evin since Oct 2008, serving life sentence on widely decried charges of running a porno network. #HBDSaeed @TorontoStar
- #SaeedMalekpour’s a techie, so we’re urging people to join a tweet storm in his support. The hashtag is #HBDSaeed.
- It’s shocking. Founding a startup and designing an app could result in a death sentence or life in prison in #Iran. #HBDSaeed
- Amnesty International Toronto branch is campaigning for Saeed. http://goo.gl/32PaSa #HBDSaeed
- He was detained by #Iran’s IRGC after he left his home in Victoria BC 6 years ago to visit his dying father in Tehran. #HBDSaeed
- At a time of rising tension in Iran he was caught in a crackdown meant to discourage Internet users who disobey clerical regime. #HBDSaeed
- #SaeedMalekpour is a metallurgical engineer who graduated at the top of his class at a prestigious Tehran university #HBDSaeed
- According to a letter Malekpour wrote from #Evin, he was tortured to extract a forced confession http://goo.gl/rHY8Qu #HBDSaeed
- A former cellmate reported that Malekpour’s jaw was broken under interrogation http://goo.gl/kyRcji @TorontoStar #HBDSaeed #Iran #Canada
- He’s being punished for the content that was shared on a tool he developed. – @GissouNia @UnlockIran #HBDSaeed #Iran #Canada
- Iran’s top leader has commuted Malekpour’s death sentence to life in prison. Do more right and free him, @khamenei_ir! #HBDSaeed
- Tweet storm brewing to free Saeed Malekpour in Iran http://goo.gl/kyRcji via @TorontoStar #HBDSaeed
- His family has appealed to @HassanRouhani to release him. But Rouhani replied that the case was “out of his hands” #HBDSaeed #Iran
- “There is only one person in Iran who holds real power” – @GissouNia And he is @khamenei_ir #HBDSaeed
- We’re aiming to bring Iran’s @khamenei_ir out of the shadows to demand justice for Malekpour and bring an end to his imprisonment #HBDSaeed
- “Only one person wields power in #Iran. We’re looking directly to @khamenei_ir for Malekpour’s release” @GissouNia #HBDSaeed
- #HBDSaeed. You’re not alone. http://goo.gl/32PaSa photo via @AmnestyToronto
- Join Unlock Iran and thousands of activists and concerned citizens around the world to tweet for Saeed’s freedom. #HBDSaeed
- Free Saeed Malekpour now. #HBDSaeed
- World auths incl Canadian & UN officials have repeatedly called for Saeed’s release to no avail #HBDSaeed. Only @khamenei_ir can free him.
- It’s as if there’s no one in this world who can help Malekpour seek justice- no one except for @khamenei_ir. #HBDSaeed
- Iran’s top leader @khamenei_ir is the only person in the world who can secure #SaeedMalekpour’s freedom. #HBDSaeed
- #SaeedMalekpour was arrested by Iranian plainclothes forces in October 2008, three days after arriving to Iran from Canada. #HBDSaeed
- Would you want to spend your birthday in an Iranian prison? #HBDSaeed
- Iran’s IRGC controls Malekpour’s fate. The only person in Iran who has higher authority than the IRGC is @khamenei_ir. #HBDSaeed
- Too many crimes committed by the authorities in Malekpour’s case for this techie to still be locked up. #HBDSaeed
- His crime is knowledge and education. Free #SaeedMalekpour, @khamenei_ir. #HBDSaeed #Iran #Canada
- #SaeedMalekpour‘s sister: There’s no one to help us save my brother but Supreme Leader @khamenei_ir. #HBDSaeed
- Help #techie Saeed seek justice on his 39th birthday. #HBDSaeed!
Campaign for Release of Saeed Malekpour 