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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran court told Canadian was tortured to death |
| 2004-07-17 |
| Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi was tortured to death in Iranian custody, her tearful mother told a court on Saturday when the trial resumed of an intelligence agent accused of the killing. "There were burns on my daughter's chest, her fingers and toes and nose were broken ... she was tortured to death," Ezzat Kazemi told the court after a nine-month delay in proceedings. The case has strained Iran's relations with Canada, prompting Ottawa to withdraw its ambassador this week, and has exposed deep rifts between President Mohammad Khatami's reformist government and the hardline judiciary. The intelligence agent, Mohammad Reza Aqdam, has denied a charge of what the court calls the semi-intentional murder of Kazemi, a 54-year-old of Iranian descent who was arrested outside Tehran's Evin prison last July for taking photographs. The charge, lesser than murder or manslaughter, carries a possible penalty of up to three years in jail and the payment of blood money to the victim's family. The judiciary initially said Kazemi died of a stroke, but a government inquiry ordered by Khatami showed she received a heavy blow which split her skull, causing a brain haemorrhage. She died in hospital 10 days after lapsing into a coma. During more than 72 hours in Evin prison, Kazemi was interrogated separately by police, judiciary and Intelligence Ministry officials. "I have complaints against all of those involved in her arrest and murder," said Ezzat Kazemi, adding she wanted other people brought to justice in the case. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #4 Wonder what the Canadians are going to do - is there anything they can do? This incident did not get as much interest from the Liberals and CBC as the Arar story, the guy who was 'allegedly" tortured by Syria after the US re-patriated him there following "bad guy" heads up from the Cdn. intelligence community. I think the reason Canada initially gave Iran a tsk, tsk/ slap on the wrist , toyed with kicking out the Iranian ambassador, whatever is because Iran is a valuable ME trade partner with Canada. So the Canadian gov't didn't want to raise too much of a rucous and lose Iran's market.The photographer's son has kept this story alive so the Canadian gov't is being forced to play "stern" once again. I suspect Candians are pretty circumspect about the lady's murder and think this is par for the course for a ME country. Like what did this Iranian national expect going back to her hellhole birth country and start taking pictures of a prison? Duh??? http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/middle_east/iran_relations-en.aspThe Canada-Iran commercial relationship is healthy. Iran is frequently Canada's largest export market in the North Africa-Middle East region, with two-way trade in excess of $700 million in 2000. Wheat comprises more than two thirds of our exports to Iran (or roughly $500 million), making Iran one of Canada's largest export markets for wheat globally. The Iranians welcome Canadian commercial interest in Iran (including in the important oil, gas and mining sectors) and would like to see more Iranian exports to Canada. |
| Posted by: rex 2004-07-17 8:18:08 PM |
| #3 Well atleast they didn't put a dog leash on her neck or a jock strap over her head. Has CNN been all over this? Wonder what the Canadians are going to do - is there anything they can do? |
| Posted by: Robjack 2004-07-17 7:37:52 PM |
| #2 Yes, that is MuslimP-wrists way. acid in little Muslim girls' faces, torture unarmed journalists and truck drivers, crash planes full of unarmed innonocents into buildings filled with innocents, car bomb innoncent Muslim women and childern. Brave Jihadists. Noble Jihadists. If this is the work of "allah"...then "allah" is the Anti-Christ or Satan, or both. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2004-07-17 7:21:23 PM |
| #1 "They forced me and threatened me to accept to bury her here. Is this Islam?" Ezzat Kazemi told the court. Yes, that Is Islam. Always has been. Islam != peace, Islam = submission. How many times this has to be repeated before people get it? Thus spake Zarathustra. |
| Posted by: Zarathustra 2004-07-17 5:09:33 PM |