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Inquiry after journalist dies in Iran
The Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami, yesterday ordered an urgent investigation into the death of a Canadian photojournalist who died in custody after being arrested for taking photos of a notorious prison. Iranian officials said the freelance photographer Zahra Kazemi, 54, was arrested last month by guards at Evin prison in Tehran and, after reporting discomfort, died of a brain haemorrhage on Saturday. Being hit in the head will do that. "You should determine the reasons for her sudden death and who is responsible for it," Mr Khatami said in a statement calling on four cabinet ministers to review the case. In ordering the inquiry, Mr Khatami indicated the possibility of wrongdoing. "If in combating irregularity something illegal happened, the violators should be strictly dealt with," he said. Looking for a scapegoat. Ms Kazemi held Canadian and Iranian passports and was arrested for violating a ban on photographing or filming Evin prison, which holds dissidents, student activists and journalists who have criticised the countryâs clerical leadership. The Canadian foreign affairs minister, Bill Graham, told the Canadian ambassador in Tehran to press for the immediate return of Ms Kazemiâs remains and for a full account of the circumstances of her death, a spokesman in Ottawa said. Ms Kazemiâs son, Stephen Hachemi, told reporters in Montreal that he wanted his motherâs body returned. "That is all that is important at this point," he said. Canadian forensic examiners are some of the worlds best. They will be able to tell what happened. The Canadian chapter of Reporters Sans FrontiÚres said the account offered by the Iranian authorities was inadequate and urged an independent investigation. The head of the foreign press department of the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance, Mohammed Hossein Khoshvaght, said the Canadian journalist had presented an Iranian passport when seeking her press accreditation and "was dealt with like an Iranian citizen". Oops, bad turn of phrase there, Mohammed. Truthful, but bad. Iranian reporters can face imprisonment and interrogation if their coverage is deemed too critical. Or they just disappear. In this case they didnât know she was Canadian and would be missed. Ms Kazemiâs death came as hardline clergy closed another newspaper yesterday and arrested two more journalists and student activists as part of a intensifying crackdown on dissent following pro-democracy protests last month. The reformist daily Hambastegi was closed for violating the press law by failing to publish the name of the editor-in-chief, a journalist at the newspaper said. Posted by: Steve 2003-07-14 |
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