Quebec
woman arrested in Iran dies
Last Updated Sat, 12 Jul 2003 18:07:13 MONTREAL
- A Montreal photojournalist who was reportedly beaten into a coma while in
police custody in Iran has died, a Foreign Affairs official confirmed Saturday.
Zahra Kazemi died of injuries suffered after her arrest on or about June 23 in
Tehran, said her son, 26-year-old Stephan Hachemi of Montreal.
Friends who visited her in hospital Tuesday said she was unconscious, with cuts
and bruises on her face and head.
Hachemi said his mother was taken into custody and accused of spying after
taking pictures outside a jail in the Iranian capital.
On Friday, hospital officials said the 54-year-old woman had suffered a brain
hemorrhage and was in a coma.
Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Lillian Thomsen said the Iranian government
confirmed the news of her death Saturday. She added that Canadian officials
were still trying to learn details of how Kazemi was arrested and ended up in
hospital.
At the request of Kazemi's family, Canadian officials in Iran are also trying
to arrange the return of her body to Canada.
Kazemi was born in Iran and moved to Montreal 10 years ago after living for
several years in France. Her son said his mother had joint Canadian and Iranian
citizenship.
She did freelance assignments in Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinian
territories, Libya, Iraq, and finally Iran.
"She was active, but she was not politically involved," said her son.
"She was very aware of the situation in Tehran. All she was doing was
informing people through her images," said her son. Arnold Amber,
president of the group Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, called her
death "a horror." He said the arrest and torture of journalists in
Iran has been going on for "a long, long time." He urged the Canadian
government to press Iranian authorities to find and charge whoever is
responsible for Kazemi's death. Written by CBC
News Online staff