Iran: Kazemi's Family Allowed to Attend Court - 2003-09-25

Iran: Kazemi's Family Allowed to Attend Court - 2003-09-25. Source: Toronto Star. Written by Tim Harper from Washington. Translation: Amir Azar. Canada's Foreign Minister says Iran has agreed to allow a representative of the Canadian government and the family of Zahra Kazemi, the murdered photojournalist, to attend the trial of the security officer accused of her murder. Graham stated yesterday after meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharrazi, that he believes that charging the mentioned officer does not absolve the Iranian government of the murder accusation. Graham added, "In the Canadian legal system, if an individual is in the custody of Canadian officials and a Canadian government employee kills that person, the Canadian government would find it difficult to prove that it bore no responsibility for the murder." He continued, "What is clear is that Iranian officials have accepted the fact that an innocent journalist was killed while officially in custody." Graham added, "When the trial takes place, we will see who is at fault." Kazemi was arrested in June after photographing outside Evin prison in Tehran during student protests. After 77 hours of interrogation, she was immediately transferred to a hospital in Tehran and died on July 11. The Iranian government initially announced that she died due to a blow to the head, but pressure from the Canadian government led to charges being brought against an official intelligence officer. Judge Javad Ismaili on Monday issued a statement accusing an unnamed interrogator from the Ministry of Intelligence of participating in the "negligent homicide" of Zahra Kazemi. According to Canadian press reports citing an official from the Tehran prosecutor's office, the implication of this charge is that the defendants did not intend to kill Ms. Kazemi, but their actions led to the death of the journalist. Graham states that he has not received any details about how the Canadian government and Kazemi's family will participate in the court, nor has he been informed of a timeline for the trial's commencement. He added that he believes the pressure from the Canadian government regarding Kazemi's case has had a positive impact on the ongoing struggle between reformists and hardliners in the Tehran government. He stated that Zahra Kazemi's death has become a political issue in Iran, and Canada and other countries are using this tragic event to assist government reformists. Graham said, "The issue goes beyond Ms. Kazemi's death and relates to freedom of expression in Iran itself." According to Graham, there appears to be no progress in returning the remaining belongings of the murdered photojournalist to Canada. He said he has been informed that a request must be submitted to the Tehran Judicial Council, and Ottawa will assist Kazemi's family in preparing this request.