Tehran Prosecutor: We Will Investigate the Supreme Court's Opinion on Zahra Kazemi's Murder

The Tehran prosecutor announced that the Supreme Court has allowed for renewed investigations into the case of Saeed Mortazavi, the former Tehran prosecutor, regarding the murder of Zahra Kazemi, and this case has been reopened in the Criminal Court. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi stated on Sunday, March 10, in an interview with the IRIB news agency that this case has a long history and, after going through multiple stages, was ultimately referred to the Supreme Court. According to Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi, the Supreme Court has permitted the prosecutor's office to conduct 'further investigations' into this case. He announced that the handling of this case continues in the Criminal Court, and the investigator has obtained inquiries from the responsible agencies and is waiting to question some witnesses, which 'will be done at the appropriate time.' Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi did not provide further details about these inquiries or other details regarding the handling of this case. Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian journalist and photographer, was arrested in 2003 in front of Evin Prison and died shortly thereafter. Her death severely strained relations between Canada and Iran. This case has resurfaced after 14 years following a recent interview with Ali Younesi, the Minister of Intelligence during Mohammad Khatami's administration, in Iranian media. Mr. Younesi stated on February 25 in an interview with Iran newspaper that two counter-espionage experts from the Ministry of Intelligence had declared during their interrogation of Zahra Kazemi in a hotel that this journalist 'is not a spy technically or scientifically.' He added that nevertheless, Saeed Mortazavi, the then Tehran prosecutor, 'insisted' that Zahra Kazemi 'is a spy' and took the case from the Ministry of Intelligence, transferring it to the police intelligence. A week after these statements, the Tehran prosecutor announced that the charges against Saeed Mortazavi in this case 'will be addressed.' However, Mr. Jafari Dolatabadi stated on Sunday that the reopening of this case was not due to the statements of certain individuals and that this case was 'in process' as usual. The Tehran prosecutor did not specify when the renewed handling of this case began. After Zahra Kazemi's murder, some websites reported that according to reports from some agencies under Mohammad Khatami's government, Saeed Mortazavi himself had beaten Zahra Kazemi, but this was not mentioned in the final report. Previously, Ali-Asghar Ramadanpour, the cultural deputy of the Ministry of Culture during Mohammad Khatami's administration, who was responsible for compiling the government's report on Zahra Kazemi's murder, told Radio Farda: 'Based on reports we received from various units, it was clear that the person who likely inflicted that blow on Ms. Zahra Kazemi was Mr. Mortazavi himself. That is, Mr. Mortazavi himself and no one else in that group.' According to Mr. Ramadanpour, 'At that time, it was suggested that if such a thing were directly included in the statement, it might create more pressure on the government from the office of the leadership and other places, and it was preferred that this issue not be mentioned in that statement.' Mohsen Armin, a representative of the sixth parliament, also stated in his speech that Zahra Kazemi told police interrogators that 'during her interrogation at the prosecutor's office, especially from the head area, she was beaten.' According to Mr. Armin, after Zahra Kazemi's statements, Saeed Mortazavi returned her to 'Evin Prosecutor's Office,' and after a few hours, they asked the Ministry of Intelligence to take her. However, Ali Younesi, in an interview with Iran newspaper, stated: 'It seems that Zahra Kazemi was beaten during the inspection process, the transfer of objects, and the transfer to the detention center, and not during interrogation, due to her resistance to handing over her belongings, and her head struck the curb, leading to her brain hemorrhage.' Following these statements by Mr. Younesi, the Iran Justice Organization published the testimony of Dr. Shahram Azam, a physician at Baqiyatollah Hospital, stating that Zahra Kazemi 'was tortured for several days in prison.'