The Report of the Judiciary's Article 90 Commission Accuses the Illegal Detention of Zahra Kazemi

A reformist commission of the Iranian Parliament claims to have found evidence indicating a cover-up in the death of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian-Iranian photojournalist. The Article 90 Commission's report, read in a public session on Tuesday, accuses the judiciary of the illegal detention of the journalist, who died in custody due to blows to her head. The report also accuses Saeed Mortazavi, the Tehran public prosecutor, of covering up events surrounding Ms. Kazemi's death and refusing to answer questions, stating that documents related to the journalist's detention have been tampered with. Ms. Kazemi was arrested in late June while photographing outside Evin Prison. The judiciary accused her of espionage. Parliament members say the report will be sent to the judiciary, which is controlled by conservative clerics. The Associated Press reports that this action leaves the judiciary with no option but to question Mortazavi. An intelligence and security officer named Mohammad Reza Aghdam has been accused of assaulting Zahra Kazemi and is being tried in connection with her death, but he claims he is innocent. Mohammad Khatami, the Islamic Republic's president, has criticized the trial, stating that judiciary members involved in the killing of the Canadian-Iranian journalist should be interrogated.