re: #613 Occasional Reader

Zahra Kazemi

Zahra “Ziba” Kazemi-Ahmadabadi (زهرا کاظمی احمدآبادی in Persian)‎ (1949 – July 11, 2003) was an Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer, residing in Montreal, Canada, who died in the custody of Iranian officials following her arrest.

Although Iranian authorities insist that her death was accidental and that she died of a stroke while being interrogated, Shahram Azam, a former military staff physician who used his purported knowledge of Kazemi’s case for seeking asylum in Canada in 2004, has stated that he examined Kazemi’s body and observed that Kazemi showed obvious signs of torture, including a skull fracture, broken nose, crushed toe, missing fingernails, broken fingers, signs of brutal rape, marks from flogging, deep scratches on her neck, and severe abdominal bruising. Iranian officials claimed that Azam had been afflicted with mental health issues and that he had been discharged before Kazemi’s death. The Canadian government, as well as Kazemi’s family and supporters, consider her death to be state-sanctioned murder.[1]

One of the two Iranian intelligence agents charged with her death was acquitted in September, 2003. The other agent, Mohammed Reza Aghdam-Ahmadi (محمدرضا اقدم احمدی), was charged with “semi-intentional murder” and his trial opened in Tehran in October, 2003. In the same month, the Iranian parliament condemned Saeed Mortazavi, a Tehran prosecutor, for announcing that Kazemi had died of a stroke. On July 25, 2004, Aghdam-Ahmadi was acquitted.

On July 24, Judge Farahani issued his judgement, clearing Aghdam-Ahmadi of the charges. He also mentioned that since the murderer has not been found, according to the Islamic sources the blood money should be paid by the government to the family. The lawyers of Kazemi’s family announced that they will definitely appeal the case, asking for a criminal court to be established to reconsider the whole case, or completing the numerous incompletenesses of the file. They also mentioned that if the family asks, they will bring the case to the international authorities, mentioning Iran’s 1954 signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The end of July saw Iran’s judiciary adding “accidental fall” and “hunger strike” to the list of alleged causes for Kazemi’s death. They claimed that Kazemi had gone on a hunger strike voluntarily, developed low blood pressure that made her dizzy, fallen, and hit her head. Detractors point out that this story does not explain her broken bones, genital injuries or skin lacerations.

The Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Bill Graham, defined these events as “flagrant denial of due process”.

That’ll show’em.