IRNA -- Majlis Speaker Mehdi Karroubi Sunday called on officials to "promptly and carefully" follow up the recent death of photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, and report the outcomes to the people. Karroubi told reporters after the Majlis open session that Kazemi's death had been a bitter incident for the Islamic establishment, stressing that whoever is responsible for this must be brought before the justice.
| "Surely you can find a scapegoat somewhere? The sentence will be light, I promise..." |
He thanked President Mohammad Khatami for ordering a special committee to probe into the issue, and called on Khatami to present a comprehensive report in that connection to the people "as he deems right". Karroubi said the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) had decided in its Saturday meeting to forward a finalized report on the incident to Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. "The Judiciary chief will accordingly appoint a competent judge to immediately study the case, and report the results as soon as possible," he said. "Of course, Mr. Shahroudi has agreed to this so that the issue is investigated to determine whether the official or officials involved in the case have perpetrated an offense or Kazemi's death had been an accident."
| I don't think the "fell down the stairs" wheeze is gonna work this time... |
The Majlis speaker further stressed that it must be determined who committed the possible offense, at what stage it happened and which institution or group was involved in the incident considering that Kazemi was held by "various" organizations. Karroubi also said that the issue should not be prejudged, and hoped that the details about Kazemi's death are clarified. |