TEHRAN, IRAN — A special prosecutor designated to handle the cases of people arrested during the country’s crackdown on websites that distribute adult content or criticize Islam has said those who are convicted deserve to die.“The accused in these cases face several charges, and so we will call for the maximum punishment prescribed by the law,” prosecutor Reza Jafari told Iranian newspaper Vatan Emrouz on Tuesday.

Jafari is the lead prosecutor for a special cyber crimes tribunal. He did not say how many of the 50 people arrested since March could face the death penalty, but he noted “a person who manages immoral, anti-religious and anti-revolutionary sites [is corrupt], and corruption on earth is legally punishable by death” under Islamic law.

Since March, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp has shut down 90 websites depicting “incest, sex with children and animals, homosexuality and erotic stories [as well as] insults to religious sanctities,” Jafari told Vatan Emrouz.

According to Jafari, about half the people arrested during the raids have been released from custody after paying a hefty bail. Some are expatriates who were tricked into returning to Iran, according to friends and relatives.

The IRGC has accused the U.S., Israel and Canada of harboring and abetting the lawbreakers, and officials said Internet search engines, particularly Google, are guilty of “offering financial support” to the accused.