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Mike Seyedian Explains Why 'Making A Murderer' Inspired Him To Start A Petition For The Release Of Steven Avery

Why 'Making A Murderer' Fan Started Two Petitions...
Caroline Frost
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'Making a Murderer' has had a huge impact on the viewing public, with fans of the Netflix documentary series talking about little else since the series was released over Christmas.

Spoiler alert: This article reports the implications of Netflix's 'Making A Murderer'

READ MORE:Your Spoiler-Free Introduction To 'Making A Murderer'

One viewer, Mike Seyedian, was so incensed by the events he saw on screen, he was moved to start two petitions, campaigning for the freedom of the two men, Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, whose trials for murder were the subject of the series.

Viewers who've already watched the series, which premiered last month, say it has caused them to lose faith in the police, local government, and America's legal system. And now hundreds of thousands of them have been spurred into action.

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'Making a Murderer' has been described as one of Netflix's most important ever series

230,000 people have signed the two petitions. Citing the documentary's suggestion of local law enforcement corruption, one petition argues for the exoneration of Avery "at once by Presidential pardon," and that "Manitowoc County officials complicit in his two false imprisonments should be held accountable". Brendan Dassey is the subject of the accompanying petition.

Now, Mike Seyedian explains to HuffPostUK his reasons for starting his campaigns through Change.Org. He says: "For me, the documentary started out as casual entertainment. As it progressed I found myself getting more and more outraged at the treatment of Brendan Dassey and Steven Avery at the hands of law enforcement, the justice system, and the media. I felt that I was witnessing a record of abuse, a perfect storm of injustice."

Mike adds that it doesn't necessarily mean that he's assured of their innocence, only that, based on what he watched, he's not convinced their guilt has been proved beyond reasonable doubt.

"It's important to consider the other side, other possibilities. The documentary is absolutely biased. But I argue that it had to be because the criminal justice system was biased against Avery and Dassey. That's a heavy prejudice to contend with: to try to tip the scales of justice back to a level of fairness after they have been skewed by the hand that holds them."

Read Mike's full blog here...

'Making a Murderer' has been the subject of intense speculation since it launched on 18 December. The series recounts the story of Steven Avery, a man who was imprisoned for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen, until fresh DNA investigation proved the police had found the wrong man. After he was released after 18 years, he began a compensation claim against Manitowoc County and several county officials associated with his first arrest.

During this process, however, he was charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach, found guilty and is currently serving a life sentence, alongside his nephew. It is these convictions that are the subjects of Mike Seyedian's petitions, huge numbers of viewers' tweets, with many petitioning for President Obama to intervene and pardon the pair.

Amid the growing calls for a review of the case, Avery continues to serve a life sentence in Wisconsin's Waupun Correctional Institution, while Dassey remains at the state's Green Bay Correctional Institution.

'Making A Murderer' is on Netflix in Britain and the United States - available to stream now.

Making A Murderer: Steven Avery Murder Trial
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** FILE ** Steven Avery looks around a courtroom in the Calumet County Courthouse before the verdict was read in his trial, March 18, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach. Avery, who spent 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit only to be convicted of committing a murder 3½ years after he left prison, said Tuesday, April 17, 2007, he is confident he will again be exonerated. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, Pool, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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The hands of Tom Halbach, father of Teresa Halbach, are shown as he waits for the verdict in the Steven Avery murder trial in the Calumet County Courthouse Sunday, March 18, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery was found guilty of first degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005 near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Patrick Ferron, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery looks around a courtroom in the Calumet County Courthouse before the verdict was read in his murder trial Sunday, March 18, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery was found guilty Sunday of first-degree intentional homicide in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005 near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery leaves a courtroom after a court session in the Calumet County Courthouse Saturday, March 17, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is on trial for the death of of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005, near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery enters a courtroom for a court session in the Calumet County Courthouse, Saturday, March 17, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is on trial for the death of of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005, near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Benny Sieu, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery gets a pat on the back from his attorney Jerome Buting as Judge Patrick Willis leaves the courtroom after a court session in the Calumet County Courthouse Saturday, March 17, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is on trial for the death of of photographer Teresa Halbach, 25, on Oct. 31, 2005 near the family's auto salvage lot in rural Manitowoc County. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery, right, is escorted out of the courtroom for a hearing, Friday, March 16, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. The judge overseeing the trial dismissed one of the 12 jurors Friday, replacing the man with an alternate juror and asking the group to start deliberating again. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Benny Sieu, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery, left, exits the courtroom after closing arguments in his trial, Thursday, March 15, 2007 at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Dwight Nale, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Roland Johnson of Jackson, Wis., a retired tool and die maker, examines a black powder muzzle loader he left in the trailer that he rented to Steven Avery, while being questioned on the witness stand Thursday, March 8, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery and his nephew are accused of murdering Teresa Halbach and burning her body in October 2005. The nephew, Brendan Dassey, is scheduled for trial in April. (AP Photo/Sharon Cekada, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Mike Riddle, Wisconsin State Crime Lab latent fingerprint examiner holds an Air National Guard lanyard that was found in Teresa Halbach's vehicle during his testimony at the Steven Avery murder trial on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Evan Siegle, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Marc LeBeau, chief of the chemistry unit at the FBI lab in Virginia, holds a vial of Steven Avery's blood Tuesday, March 6, 2007, while testifying in Avery's trial in Chilton, Wis. Prosecution witnesses on Tuesday rebutted claims that deputies planted Steven Avery's blood to frame him for the murder of a photographer. (AP Photo/ Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Dean Strang questions Rod Pevytoe, right, special agent with the Division of Criminal Investigation arson bureau during the Avery's murder trial Wednesday, March 7, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Dwight Nale, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Defense attorney Jerome Buting, center, cross-examines Marc LeBeau, right, chief of the chemistry unit at the FBI lab in Virginia, Tuesday, March 6, 2007, as LeBeau testifies in Steven Avery's trial in Chilton, Wis. Prosecution witnesses on Tuesday rebutted claims that deputies planted Steven Avery's blood to frame him for the murder of a photographer. (AP Photo/ Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Marc LeBeau, head of the FBI's chemical analysis unit, testifies during Steven Avery's murder trial, Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery, 44, is on trial for murder in the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach near his family's auto salvage lot on Oct. 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery, left, listens to testimony in the courtroom Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery, 44, is on trial for murder in the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach near his family's auto salvage lot on Oct. 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Jerome Buting, left, questions Lynn Zigmunt, Manitowoc County Clerk of Courts, during the Steven Avery homicide trial Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Jerome Buting, right, questions Marc LeBeau, unit chief of the FBI's chemistry unit during testimony in Avery's homicide trial Monday, March 5, 2007, at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Dwight Nale, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's defense attorney Dean Strang questions forensic anthropologist Leslie Eisenberg while a animation of a human skeleton is projected on a screen during testimony in the Steven Avery trial on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Jaslyn Gilbert, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A photo of a burn pit at Steven Avery's salvage yard is projected on a screen in Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007, in Chilton, Wis., during testimony by State Department of Justice Special agent Tom Sturdivant during Avery's murder trial. Sturdivant testified that he found bone fragments around the burn pit. Avery is accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/, H. Marc Larson, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's defense attorney Dean Strang points to a photo of a burn pit at Steven Avery's salvage yard is projected on a screen in Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007, in Chilton, Wis., during testimony by State Department of Justice Special agent Tom Sturdivant during Avery's murder trial. Sturdivant testified that he found bone fragments around the burn pit. Avery is accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/, H. Marc Larson, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Karen Halbach, mother of Teresa Halbach, walks by a photo of Teresa projected on a screen in the courtroom after giving testimony during Steven Avery's murder trial in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery, 44, and his 17-year-old nephew are accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, on Halloween 2005 and burning her body after she went to Avery's Auto Salvage yard to photograph a van Avery's sister had for sale. The nephew, Brendan Dassey, is scheduled for trial in April. (AP Photo/H. Marc Larson, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery's attorney Dean Strang points to a photo showing a CD case that contained blood stains in Teresa Halbach's vehicle while questioning Nick Stahlke, a blood spatter expert with the Wisconsin Crime Laboratory during testimony in Avery's murder trial Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2007, in Chilton, Wis. Avery is accused of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/Bruce Halmo, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Steven Avery listens to testimony during his murder trial in Chilton, Wis., Friday, Feb. 23, 2007. Avery is accused, along with his 17-year-old nephew, of killing Teresa Halbach, 25, after she went to the family's rural salvage lot to photograph a minivan they had for sale. (AP Photo/ Kirk Wagner, Pool) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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