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Iranian Doctor defects - Zahra Kazemi murder case
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cyrus
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:09 am    Post subject: Ottawa pulls out of conference with IranBy ALLISON DUNFIELD Reply with quote

Ottawa pulls out of conference with Iran By ALLISON DUNFIELD

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050406.wkaz0406/BNStory/National/
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 Updated at 3:17 PM EST

Globe and Mail Update

The federal government said Wednesday that Canada will not participate in a "Doing Business with Iran" conference in light of new and damning evidence in the Zahra Kazemi case.

Dan McTeague, the parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew, told CBC Newsworld Wednesday that the conference, which the federal Agriculture department was to attend, will go ahead as planned but without government presence.

"The government of Canada will not be participating in that conference and will withdraw participation of the Canadian government in that conference. The issue of trade among Canadians and Iranians is something that's quite different, but in terms of underscoring Canada's concern at the highest levels, we have, of course, now proceeded with withdrawing Canadian participation and support in that conference," Mr. McTeague said.

The Agriculture department will also no longer be a co-sponsor of the April 13-15 event in Montreal, he said. The gathering for importers and exporters was organized with help from Agriculture Canada. The department was to help supply audio-visual equipment, refreshments and interpreters. All related contracts will be honoured, but a previously scheduled roster of federal speakers will no longer take part, a spokeswoman for the Agriculture department said.

Mr. McTeague said the federal government is also looking at a number of options to send a message to Iran that the treatment of Montreal photojournalist Ms. Kazemi, who died in a Tehran prison in 2003 after allegedly being raped and tortured, was not acceptable.

Mr. Pettigrew asked Tuesday that Iran agree to an international forensic investigation into her death in light of recent allegations made by Dr. Shahram Aazam, a doctor who examined her. He says that he saw evidence of rape and injuries consistent with torture.

"I have proposed a three-member, independent group of forensic experts to conduct an autopsy that would help to determine precisely what happened during her custody," Mr. Pettigrew said in a statement earlier this week.

""The ball is now in Iran's court. Only a transparent and credible process can answer the disturbing questions that remain about Zahra Kazemi's death and the subsequent investigation."

During Question Period Wednesday, Conservative foreign affairs critic Stockwell Day again asked that the government withdraw the ambassador to Iran.
Mr. Pettigrew said that is not a solution.

"We have, in the past, withdrawn the ambassador, and that has led to nowhere. We need to articulate our case in Iran at the highest level and very strongly."


Mr. McTeague said Wednesday that he is encouraged by the support of French President Jacques Chirac. Mr. Chirac has also called on Iranian authorities to have Ms. Kazemi's body undergo an independent forensic analysis, Mr. McTeague said.

"Now that we've enlisted the support of the French government, which has very good contacts with the Iranian government, we believe this is the right position to take," he said.


Last edited by cyrus on Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:43 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

From what I hear Canada's ambassador is basically just hunkered down in his office not talking to anyone these days anyway. Probably surfing the net via satellite Laughing

I'd love to see things happen hot and heavy but these things take time. Frankly I'm surprised it gets any press at all with everything else that's going on right now and the issue in its formative stages domestically. Canadian politics is usually much more boring than this. So far the press has been pretty decent. Not too much TV at the moment but that's kind of a good thing so people don't burn out and get jaded before the rubber really hits the road.

Cyrus - thanks for the link to the Hughes article. that picture with Martin is nasty. the longer this goes the more he'll be on the nut so he'll be looking for a resolution to this. it wouldn't bug me as much if he didn't pander to big business as much as he does but politics is politics. the good news is these days they have a defining moment to justify harsh measures (as far as they'll go) and the public pressure to do something and public sentiment to back them if they start building trenches. I'm not so sure it was there before.

Khorshid - I get the impression the Mullah is trying to look conciliartory on the world stage. The rhetoric about the nuclear efforts changed overnight once the doctor spoke up. Personally I hope they stall on releasing the body and I think our government expects it. Right now its just beads of water on frying pan. However it turns out there's no question in my mind this is going work up a head of steam and the Mullah are in for a bout of exposure they aren't looking forward to.

anyone know a good book about the revolution? I'm interested in this one...

In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs : A Memoir of Iran but I'm not sure it does the revolution itself justice. (heh, now Khorshid knows where I'm going next in our discussion about the Bretcher thread. Oh well Smile )
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yesterday's chamber business (House of Commons - April 6)

Quote:
Mr. Stockwell Day (Okanagan—Coquihalla, CPC): Mr.
Speaker, two years ago we asked the government to abandon its
discredited policy of playing softball with the dictatorship in Iran.
We asked the government to demand that the remains of Zahra
Kazemi be returned to her son and that there be a new inquiry and a
new trial with a Canadian presence.

If the government is serious about getting justice for a Canadian
woman who was tortured and murdered, why will it not bring our
ambassador home until the demands are met instead of sending him
back there to resume normal relations?

Hon. Pierre Pettigrew (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr.
Speaker, we have in the past withdrawn the ambassador and that has
led nowhere. We need to articulate our case in Iran at the highest
level and very strongly.

Yesterday when I spoke to the Iranian foreign minister I asked him
when the appeal will take place. The family has asked for an appeal.
The family is committed to having an appeal. The Iranian
government has not yet announced that date. This is another request
on top of the autopsy request we made yesterday, and we need to
pursue our case all the time at the highest possible level.

Mr. Stockwell Day (Okanagan—Coquihalla, CPC): Mr.
Speaker, the government promised harsh measures for the murderers
of Zahra Kazemi. Yesterday, this same government tried to organize
a training session in Montreal on maintaining good relations with
Iran. Only after we criticized this decision did the government
change its mind and cancel the training session.

Why does this government wait until the official opposition
criticizes its contradictory actions instead of simply making
decisions based on clear principles?

Hon. Pierre Pettigrew (Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lib.): Mr.
Speaker, we have made many decisions on the basis of clear
principles. We went to the UN general assembly with our colleagues
from the international community. We criticized them wherever the
opportunity presented itself. We deal with them each time so that we
can get the information we need from them. We want justice.
The opposition wakes up each time a piece appears in the media.
But we have been working on this matter week in and week out,
month in and month out, without waiting for the media to focus on it.

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 6:51 pm    Post subject: Zahra Kazemi’s Legacy: Standing up to the Mullahs Reply with quote

April 5, 2005
Zahra Kazemi’s Legacy: Standing up to the Mullahs

Source: http://www.usadiran.org/index.html

Alas, it had to be Zahra Kazemi’s life to again bring the world’s attention to the barbaric treatment Iranians, particularly women, get from Iran’s ruling regime. Still, it is very quiet out there. There was no condemnation and no serious international response to hold Tehran to account for its murderous conduct in light of new appalling revelations.

The 54-year-old Iranian-Canadian photojournalist was murdered in prison in June 2003. She was arrested outside of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison while taking photographs of the families of young Iranians arrested during student protests against the ruling theocracy.

According to a former Iranian army doctor who examined her before she died in a military hospital emergency room, Kazemi was beaten, tortured and raped. Dr. Shahram Azam, who recently received political asylum in Canada, has told Canadian media that Kazemi was brought from Evin prison unconscious with bruises all over her body. She had a skull fracture, two broken fingers, missing fingernails, a crushed big toe and a smashed nose, deep scratches on the neck and evidence of flogging on the legs and back.

Still Western capitals from Washington to London, were intentionally silent in condemnation of Tehran’s barbaric murder of Kazemi. The EU’s faltering nuclear negotiations with Tehran, it seems, has left them speechless in denouncing the mullahs’ blatant murder of Kazemi. Washington, eager not to appear hindering the EU-Tehran meaningless nuclear talks, has kept a low profile on this and other rights violations in Iran. Canadian government’s statements in light of new revelations amounted to nothing more than a rehash of its previous positions. Human rights organizations have not faired any better.

Kazemi’s case opens a window into the role Iranian women are playing against the tyranny of mullahs. Make no mistake, as an Iranian woman who in her capacity as a journalist defied the mullahs, her gender was the main reason to arouse the barbaric wrath of the theocratic establishment. Her tragic murder made Kazemi the face of thousands of Iranian women who have died or have been tortured in the hands of mullahs for daring to make a stand for freedom and resisted their tyranny.

Kazemi’s brave defiance of the mullahs by no means was an isolated case. From the 1906 Constitutional movement to the 1979 anti-monarchic revolution to the nationwide resistance to the ruling theocracy, women have always been a key component of anti-dictatorial movements in Iran.

Misogyny is the lynch pin of the fundamentalist ideology ruling Iran. Institutionalized violence is carried out in the name of God. No other government in the world has executed as many women as the Iranian regime has since the 1979 revolution. A common method of punishing women in public is by stoning them to death. At least 14 women have been sentenced to stoning or stoned to death since 1997 when Mohammad Khatami came to office. Iran has had the highest number of female prisoners in the world.



The women in Iran, of course, have persevered. When they rise against oppression, they shake the regime to its foundations. Just last month, an anti-government riot erupted in Tehran following a soccer match between Iran and Japan. Women who are banned from attending soccer matches actively took part in this riot calling for the overthrow of the mullahs.

It is outright unconscionable that as the new revelations about Kazemi’s murder made it through international media, the mullahs’ president Mohammad Khatami received a red-carpet welcome in Austria and France. Eager to strike new lucrative deals with Tehran, the EU has made of a mockery of its long-held claim to be the land of upholding human rights. When it comes to choosing between commerce and Zahra Kazemis of Iran, the EU capitals made their choice a long time ago: Euro over human rights.

The most meaningful comment about Kazemi’s case was probably made last week by her son, Stephan Hashemi. "I'm continuing what my mother has started by standing up to the Iranian regime," he said. And that is exactly what men and women of Iran will do to bring the ruling tyrants down. (USADI)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The US Alliance for Democratic Iran (USADI), is a US-based, non-profit, independent organization, which promotes informed policy debate, exchange of ideas, analysis, research and education to advance a US policy on Iran which will benefit America’s interests, both at home and in the Middle East, through supporting Iranian people’s aspirations for a democratic, secular, and peaceful government, free of tyranny, fundamentalism, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism.



USADI supports the Iranian peoples' aspirations for democracy, peace, human rights, women’s equality, freedom of expression, separation of church and state, self-determination, control of land and resources, cultural integrity, and the right to development and prosperity.



The USADI is not affiliated with any government agencies, political groups or parties. The USADI administration is solely responsible for its activities and decisions.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 10, 2005 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Iran says Canada complicating issue of photojournalist who died in 2003

Quote:
TEHRAN, Iran (CP) - Iran on Sunday said Canada was following the "wrong approach" in the case of an Iranian-born Canadian photojournalist who died while in Iranian custody.

Canada has demanded an international forensic examination to determine the cause of Zahra Kazemi's death.

"Unfortunately Canada has been following a wrong approach from the very beginning, and caused things to get more complicated," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said in a weekly press conference.

"From the very beginning, the Canadians should have accepted that Mrs. Kazemi is an Iranian citizen. Demands by the Canadians have to be answered by Iran's judiciary," he said.

Iran's judiciary was expected to hold a press conference on Tuesday and announce a decision on the request.

Also Sunday, lawyers representing Kazemi's mother, Ezzat Ebrahimi, called for a fresh investigation into the death.

"According to the law, the file must be referred to a special interrogator who acts outside the authority of the Tehran Justice Department . . . in order to pave the way for revealing the truth and punishing the masterminds (of the death)," said the petition to the judiciary, quoted by the official Iranian news agency.


In their petition, the lawyers - led by Noble Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi - accused the court of ignoring evidence about the death as well as reports of the special presidential committee and the Intelligence Ministry.

Kazemi, a 54-year-old Canadian freelance journalist of Iranian origin, died in July 2003, several days after being arrested for taking photos of a demonstration outside a Tehran prison.

Iranian officials say the Montreal photojournalist died after a fracturing her skull in a fall.

Canada's demands for an independent investigation came after an Iranian doctor claimed that he examined Kazemi in a military hospital in Tehran and said that she was tortured to death.

Doctor Shahram Azam fled to Canada and last month held a news conference to reveal details of brutal injuries inflicted on the Iranian-Canadian citizen.

Azam told of bruises, welts and fractures that he said could only have been caused by methodical torture and rape.

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew demanded an international forensic examination, saying Ottawa is fed up with Iran's "lies" and "coverups."

Iranian officials have denied that Azam, ever worked in any Iranian hospital and said his claims were false.


stupid idiots think this is some sort of BBS flame war.

Tuesday. and then a Liberal government despirate to look like they've got something, anything, under control gets to respond.

ooh doggy. this is going to escalate.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Last Days in Iran" documentary about the Khazemi killing showing again now on Discovery Times Channel
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I knocked off a note to the CBC recommending they show Iran Undercover. Probably for not but what the heck.

Just found this and passed it along to my preferred oppostion...

Chretien and Kazemi

Quote:
National Post

June 3, 2004

To former prime minister Jean Chretien:

Like many Canadians, I recently learned of your coming visit to Iran as a representative of a Calgary-based oil company. It is reported that the purpose of your trip is to conclude a deal with the Iranian government on behalf of this firm.

I write to congratulate you.

Your failure to ensure justice was served in the case of my mother, Zahra Kazemi -- who was murdered by the Iranian regime while you were prime minister -- has apparently paid off: You are now most welcome in Tehran.

Last June, my mother was arrested without cause by agents of the Iranian government, who then beat and tortured her to death. No doubt, you remember the case and so are well-informed of the systematic violations of human rights that take place in Iran, as well as the circumstances that surround the killing of my mother.

And yet, knowing this, you are off to shake hands with representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the executioners who less than a year ago had my mother murdered.

I can only thank you for doing this now, Mr. Chretien -- for you are demonstrating clearly what a charade Canada's fervent defence of human rights is. Despite your speeches about human rights when you were at the head of our government, you are now conferring your personal prestige on Iran's regime, and by extension its crimes against humanity.

Bravo, Mr. Chretien. I knew I could count on you to take the veil off your government's hypocrisy. The politics that you practice now show how your government favours "business as usual" before human rights. Congratulations.

Stephan Hachemi, Montreal.



Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad

Canada needs to be better than that.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

like clockwork...

No forensic exam of Kazemi's remains: Iran

Quote:
TEHRAN - Iran won't allow an international team of forensic scientists to examine the body of Zahra Kazemi as Canada has demanded, an Iranian official said Tuesday.

"Such a demand does not conform with Iranian laws or international regulations," Jamal Karimirad, a spokesperson for Iran's judges, said at a media briefing.

Kazemi, a 54-year-old Iranian-Canadian photographer, died several days after being arrested in Tehran in 2003.

At first Iranian officials said Kazemi had died of a stroke. Then a commission declared that she had succumbed to a head injury caused when she fell.

Her body was buried in her home village in Iran without ever being viewed by outside investigators.

Kazemi's son and an Iranian doctor who says he examined her in a Tehran hospital before her death insist she was tortured.

The doctor, Shahram Azam, came forward at the end of March to describe horrific injuries to Kazemi's body. She also showed signs of having been brutally raped, he said.

Azam's statement led to Pierre Pettigrew, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, to call for an international forensic exam.

Karimirad rejected that call Tuesday.

"Kazemi was an Iranian citizen. Although she also had Canadian nationality, under Iran's laws, an additional citizenship doesn't negate her Iranian nationality," he said. "Therefore, Iran's judiciary is competent to carry out the investigation."

The Iranian official also said Azam had never seen Kazemi, as the doctor claimed, but was making false accusations in order to obtain political asylum in Canada.


If there's nothing to keep this a matter of international law this is going to degenerate into a diplomatic issue and the Liberals have been useless at that since they lost Axworthy. The good news is the opposition has them on the run about just about everything but if there's no hook to take to the UN this can get lost in the woodwork.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

associated press...

Iran rejects Kazemi probe

Quote:
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI





Zahra Kazemi.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran rejected Tuesday a Canadian demand for an international team of forensic scientists to examine the corpse of an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who died in its custody.

Zahra Kazemi, a 54-year-old Canadian photographer of Iranian origin, died in July 2003, several days after being arrested for taking photos of a demonstration outside a Tehran prison.

Hard-line authorities said she died of a stroke, but a commission appointed by Iran's president found Kazemi died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage that were caused by the impact of a hard object. Iranian reformists have said she was tortured to death.

A doctor who claims to have examined Kazemi in hospital, Shahram Azam, said her body bore injuries consistent with torture and rape. His allegation prompted Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew to demand an international forensic examination.

"Such a demand does not conform with Iranian laws or international regulations," the spokesman for Iran's judges, Jamal Karimirad, told reporters Tuesday.

"Kazemi was an Iranian citizen. Although she also had Canadian nationality, under Iran's laws, an additional citizenship doesn't negate her Iranian nationality. Therefore, Iran's judiciary is competent to carry out the investigation," Karimirad said.

Azam spoke about Kazemi's injuries after moving to Canada. He said he examined Kazemi in a Tehran hospital emergency ward after she was transferred from Evin prison.


iPods & AccessoriesCallaway Drivers



On Tuesday, Karimirad denied Azam had examined Kazemi. He dismissed Azam's comments as "baseless and false" and hinted they were made to gain political asylum in Canada.

"The name of this person doesn't exist in any of the (official) documents. This person for some reason has won the confidence of the Canadian government to obtain asylum," Karimirad said.

Last year, an Iranian court acquitted secret agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi of killing Kazemi. Lawyers representing Kazemi's relatives have conceded that Ahmadi was not guilty, but they believe Kazemi was beaten to death by a hard-line prison official.

Hard-liners were angered when the lawyers - led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, accused a prison official, whom they named, of inflicting the fatal blow.

Karimirad said Kazemi's case has not been shelved and that lawyers of the family have been invited to hear explanations about the case in May. He did not elaborate, but he said the court would listen to the lawyers' objections.



May. More surprises Rolling Eyes Drag it out and keep it low until the elections.

maybe this part...

Quote:
Iran's judiciary is competent to carry out the investigation,"


we all know its conflict of interest. anyone know this stuff?
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ratified by the IRI...

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

and the position...

UN EXPERTS APPEAL TO IRAN TO COMPLY WITH HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS IN CASE OF DEAD JOURNALIST

Quote:
27 July 2004

The following statement was issued today by the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and the Special Rapporteur on torture of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights:


"The Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy, and the Special Rapporteur on torture, Theo van Boven, express their profound concern regarding the unanswered questions which have resulted from the acquittal of an Iranian intelligence officer on 24 July after a two-day trial for the alleged killing of journalist Zahra Kazemi.

Ms. Kazemi was arrested on 23 June 2003 while performing her work as a journalist outside Evin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran. She was reportedly beaten and subjected to other forms of ill-treatment in detention; she died of her injuries on 10 July 2003.

Many reports indicate that the proceedings did not meet international standards of a fair trial because key evidence that might have incriminated judiciary officials, the prosecutor's office as well as the intelligence ministry was ignored by the court. The independent experts are also concerned that journalists and other foreign observers were barred from full access to the courtroom after the start of the trial.

The independent experts fear that by failing to ensure an open trial and the independent functioning of the judiciary -- which should take into account all findings that could shed light on this case -- the authorities are favouring a climate of impunity for law enforcement officials and setting the ground for the recurrence of similar human rights violations in the future.

The experts underline the need for prompt and impartial investigations whenever acts and practices of torture are alleged. They appeal to the authorities to comply strictly with international human rights norms, and in particular with article 2, paragraph 3, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by the Islamic Republic of Iran, which provides that, "Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes: (a) To ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity; (b) To ensure that any person claiming such a remedy shall have his right thereto determined by competent judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other competent authority provided for by the legal system of the State, and to develop the possibilities of judicial remedy; and (c) To ensure that the competent authorities shall enforce such remedies when granted".


It ain't over by a long shot. Pettigrew can bang this gong for ages (articles 41 and 42 ff). if he's got the nerve (and his party stays in power).
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:03 pm    Post subject: Mullahs Rejects Ottawa's Demand For Kazemi Probe Reply with quote

Mullah's Regime Rejects Ottawa's Demand For Kazemi Probe

April 12, 2005
The Associated Press
The Globe and Mail
Source URL: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050412.wkazemi0412/BNStory/International/

Tehran, Iran -- Iran rejected Tuesday a Canadian demand for an international team of forensic scientists to examine the corpse of an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who died in its custody.

Zahra Kazemi, a 54-year-old Canadian photographer of Iranian origin, died in July 2003, several days after being arrested for taking photos of a demonstration outside a Tehran prison.

Hard-line authorities said she died of a stroke, but a commission appointed by Iran's president found Ms. Kazemi died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage that were caused by the impact of a hard object. Iranian reformists have said she was tortured to death.

A doctor who claims to have examined Ms. Kazemi in hospital, Shahram Azam, said her body bore injuries consistent with torture and rape. His allegation prompted Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew to demand an international forensic examination.

"Such a demand does not conform with Iranian laws or international regulations," the spokesman for Iran's judges, Jamal Karimirad, told reporters Tuesday.

"Kazemi was an Iranian citizen. Although she also had Canadian nationality, under Iran's laws, an additional citizenship doesn't negate her Iranian nationality. Therefore, Iran's judiciary is competent to carry out the investigation," Mr. Karimirad said.

Dr. Azam spoke about Ms. Kazemi's injuries after moving to Canada. He said he examined Ms. Kazemi in a Tehran hospital emergency ward after she was transferred from Evin prison.

On Tuesday, Mr. Karimirad denied Dr. Azam had examined Ms. Kazemi. He dismissed Dr. Azam's comments as "baseless and false" and hinted they were made to gain political asylum in Canada.

"The name of this person doesn't exist in any of the (official) documents. This person for some reason has won the confidence of the Canadian government to obtain asylum," Mr. Karimirad said.

Last year, an Iranian court acquitted secret agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi of killing Ms. Kazemi. Lawyers representing Ms. Kazemi's relatives have conceded that Mr. Ahmadi was not guilty, but they believe Ms. Kazemi was beaten to death by a hard-line prison official.

Hard-liners were angered when the lawyers — led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, accused a prison official, whom they named, of inflicting the fatal blow.

Mr. Karimirad said Ms. Kazemi's case has not been shelved and that lawyers of the family have been invited to hear explanations about the case in May. He did not elaborate, but he said the court would listen to the lawyers' objections.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kazemi Petition: Expel Islamic Clerical Regime of Iran from The UN For Killing a Canadian Photojournalist, and Call For Free Referendum In Iran!

View Current Signatures
-
Sign the Petition

Petition Start Date By ActivistChat:
Thursday July 24, 2003


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The name of this person doesn't exist in any of the (official) documents.


yeah I'm sure they took care of that little detail while the doctor was still overseas. Rolling Eyes
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 11:25 am    Post subject: Documents bolster Kazemi claims Reply with quote

Documents bolster Kazemi claims

Ottawa releases papers backing doctor's allegations in death of photojournalist

By MICHAEL DEN TANDT
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050411.wxkazemi11/BNStory/International/
Monday, April 11, 2005
Updated at 6:17 AM EST

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Ottawa — Even as Iran's Foreign Ministry accused Canada of taking the ''wrong approach'' in the Zahra Kazemi case, Ottawa released documentary evidence yesterday bolstering recent claims that the 54-year-old Canadian photojournalist was tortured and raped by Iranian security police before she died.

Ten days ago, Shahram Azam, an Iranian military doctor and former Tehran emergency-room physician who examined Ms. Kazemi before she died, released gruesome details of the abuse she suffered while in Iranian custody.

The Iranian government immediately denied that Dr. Azam was ever on the staff of Baghiatollah hospital, where he says he examined Ms. Kazemi early on the morning of June 27, 2003.

"Of course I'm not surprised," Dr. Azam said yesterday of Iran's response.

"If they admitted that I am who I say, they would be discrediting themselves."

Tehran has spurned a personal request from Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew for a new forensic examination of Ms. Kazemi's remains.

Yesterday, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry accused Canada of mishandling the case. "Unfortunately Canada has been following a wrong approach from the very beginning, and caused things to get more complicated," spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said in Tehran.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs released translations of key documentary evidence it used last November in determining that Dr. Azam's account is true.

This includes an official letter from the Iranian Ministry of the Interior instructing Baghiatollah Hospital to employ Dr. Azam in its emergency room, for up to 120 hours a month.

It also includes a timesheet from the hospital showing Dr. Azam had worked an 18-hour shift beginning on the afternoon of June 26, 2003, and ending early the following morning.

The Globe and Mail obtained the hospital documents independently and commissioned a separate translation, which corroborates the Department of Foreign Affairs' version.

In addition, The Globe and Mail has obtained a copy of handwritten notes made by Dr. Azam during his preliminary examination of Ms. Kazemi.

An independent translation of the notes closely matches Dr. Azam's exhaustive account at an Ottawa news conference 10 days ago.

The notes say she was admitted to the hospital at 11:30 p.m., dehydrated and in a coma. They list the severe bruising, deep scratches, crushed bones and genital trauma that Dr. Azam concluded were evidence of torture and rape.

"These documents add even further to the already insurmountable weight of credibility [of Dr. Azam]," said John Terry, a lawyer for Ms. Kazemi's son, Stephan Hachemi.

He noted that Iran has offered no documentation to support its claim that Dr. Azam's story is false. In particular, Mr. Terry said, Iran has never provided evidence from any other doctor who might have examined Ms. Kazemi.

Last week, an Iranian political figure, former reformist MP Hossein Ansari Rad, who led an abridged internal inquiry into the murder in 2003, corroborated parts of Dr. Azam's story.

Yesterday, Dr. Azam said he has no regrets about going public. He said through an interpreter that he now hopes the case will be heard in the International Court of Justice, "so that justice will be served and the government that did this will be punished."

Mr. Hachemi's legal team continues to press the federal government to take more aggressive steps against Iran.

Specifically, Mr. Hachemi's lawyers have asked for changes to the State Immunity Act that would make it possible for victims of torture to sue foreign governments in Canadian courts. And they want Canada to press a formal claim for compensation from Iran at the international level.

They are scheduled to meet for a second time with senior Canadian government officials on April 20.

With a report from AFP
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BitWhys



Joined: 11 Mar 2005
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Location: Winnipeg, Canada

PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2005 11:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ottawa won't recall Iran ambassador

this has me fuming!!!

Quote:
By TERRY WEBER

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 Updated at 5:37 PM EST

Globe and Mail Update

Ottawa won't recall its ambassador to Iran despite that country's refusal Tuesday to allow an international forensic team to examine the body of a Montreal photojournalist who died in custody there.

“At this time, recalling our ambassador would be tantamount to dropping our work on this case and to cut our access to the Iranian authorities,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Sébastien Théberge said in an email to globeandmail.com Tuesday.

“We will not drop this case. We have a moral responsibility to continue until justice is rendered.”

Earlier Tuesday, Iranian authorities rejected Canada's demand that forensic scientists be allowed to examine the body of 54-year-old Zahra Kazemi.

Ms. Kazemi, a 54-year-old Canadian photographer of Iranian origin, died in July 2003, several days after being arrested for taking photos of a demonstration outside a Tehran prison.

Hard-line authorities said she died of a stroke, but a commission appointed by Iran's President found Ms. Kazemi died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage that were caused by the impact of a hard object. Iranian reformists have said she was tortured to death.

A doctor who says he examined Ms. Kazemi in hospital, Shahram Azam, said her body bore injuries consistent with torture and rape. His allegation prompted Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew to demand an international forensic examination.

Mr. Théberge said his department wasn't surprised by Iran's latest response, saying it is “consistent with the pattern of cover-up and lies” already seen in the case. For example, Iran has dismissed the claims of the doctor who said he had treated Ms. Kazemi days before her death, even though Ottawa has documentation supporting his version of events.

He added federal officials met with Ms. Kazemi's family last week plan to continue working with them to get justice in the case.

In Iran on Tuesday, a spokesman for Iran's judges, Jamal Karimirad, said Canada's demand that the body be made available for a forensic examination “does not conform with Iranian laws or international regulations.”

“Kazemi was an Iranian citizen. Although she also had Canadian nationality, under Iran's laws, an additional citizenship doesn't negate her Iranian nationality. Therefore, Iran's judiciary is competent to carry out the investigation,” Mr. Karimirad said.

Dr. Azam spoke about Ms. Kazemi's injuries after moving to Canada. He said he examined Ms. Kazemi in a Tehran hospital emergency ward after she was transferred from Evin prison.

On Tuesday, Mr. Karimirad denied Dr. Azam had examined Ms. Kazemi. He dismissed Dr. Azam's comments as “baseless and false” and hinted they were made to gain political asylum in Canada.

“The name of this person doesn't exist in any of the (official) documents. This person for some reason has won the confidence of the Canadian government to obtain asylum,” Mr. Karimirad said.

Last year, an Iranian court acquitted secret agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi of killing Ms. Kazemi. Lawyers representing Ms. Kazemi's relatives have conceded that Mr. Ahmadi was not guilty, but they believe Ms. Kazemi was beaten to death by a hard-line prison official.

Hard-liners were angered when the lawyers — led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, accused a prison official, whom they named, of inflicting the fatal blow.

Mr. Karimirad said Ms. Kazemi's case has not been shelved and that lawyers of the family have been invited to hear explanations about the case in May. He did not elaborate, but he said the court would listen to the lawyers' objections.



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blank



Joined: 26 Feb 2004
Posts: 1672

PostPosted: Fri Apr 15, 2005 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of our friends who lives in Canada, said some Canadians were telling him about several Iranian princes that had mansions looking a lot like castles and were building more. Our friend said, I told them we only have one Prince who lives in the US, the rest that you see are off-springs(tuleh sag) of thugs mullah, the money is blood money stolen form Iranians.
If Canadian government had an ounce of conscience they would start freezing these thives' assest and give the money to the opposition so they can free Iran.
I think he had a good point...........


Last edited by blank on Mon Apr 25, 2005 3:47 pm; edited 2 times in total
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