Reuters AlertNet - Canada wants EU to lobby Iran on journalist trial
By Charles Grandmont
MONTREAL, July 27 (Reuters) - Canada said on Tuesday it would ask the European Union and the United Nations to put pressure on Iran to clear up the case of a Canadian photographer killed in custody in Tehran.
Zahra Kazemi, 54, was arrested a year ago for taking photographs outside Tehran's Evin prison, and she died from a blow to the head after her detention.
Last Saturday the Iranian judiciary acquitted an Intelligence Ministry agent accused of killing Kazemi, prompting a protest from Ottawa. Lawyers for the family said they would appeal the decision.
"We need to know what happened and we will work with our partners around the world, the European Union, the United Nations, to increase pressure on Iran," Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew told reporters. He gave no details.
"We are dead(ly) serious about this, we want the truth to come out," he said before a meeting with Stephan Hachemi, son of the slain photographer.
Canada withdrew its ambassador from Iran after the envoy was barred from attending the trial. Hachemi wants Ottawa to take a much tougher line and has suggested downgrading relations with Iran or imposing sanctions.
"Until now we have seen no engagement by the government. We've only seen strong words and symbolic gestures which have had no concrete results," he told reporters.
But asked if Ottawa would expel the Iranian ambassador, Pettigrew replied: "We are not there."
Imposing sanctions would appear to make little sense, since Canada only bought C$63 million ($47 million) of imports from Iran last year.
Canadian officials, human rights groups and lawyers for Kazemi have accused Iran's judiciary of covering up evidence pointing to the involvement of judiciary officials in the death.
"I hope very much that they grant the appeal that the family has requested and that the new trial is this time really serious, that they accept to hear all of the witnesses that should be heard in that particular case," Pettigrew said.
Iran's reformist government volunteered on Monday to help the judiciary find out who killed Kazemi.
MONTREAL, July 27 (Reuters) - Canada said on Tuesday it would ask the European Union and the United Nations to put pressure on Iran to clear up the case of a Canadian photographer killed in custody in Tehran.
Zahra Kazemi, 54, was arrested a year ago for taking photographs outside Tehran's Evin prison, and she died from a blow to the head after her detention.
Last Saturday the Iranian judiciary acquitted an Intelligence Ministry agent accused of killing Kazemi, prompting a protest from Ottawa. Lawyers for the family said they would appeal the decision.
"We need to know what happened and we will work with our partners around the world, the European Union, the United Nations, to increase pressure on Iran," Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew told reporters. He gave no details.
"We are dead(ly) serious about this, we want the truth to come out," he said before a meeting with Stephan Hachemi, son of the slain photographer.
Canada withdrew its ambassador from Iran after the envoy was barred from attending the trial. Hachemi wants Ottawa to take a much tougher line and has suggested downgrading relations with Iran or imposing sanctions.
"Until now we have seen no engagement by the government. We've only seen strong words and symbolic gestures which have had no concrete results," he told reporters.
But asked if Ottawa would expel the Iranian ambassador, Pettigrew replied: "We are not there."
Imposing sanctions would appear to make little sense, since Canada only bought C$63 million ($47 million) of imports from Iran last year.
Canadian officials, human rights groups and lawyers for Kazemi have accused Iran's judiciary of covering up evidence pointing to the involvement of judiciary officials in the death.
"I hope very much that they grant the appeal that the family has requested and that the new trial is this time really serious, that they accept to hear all of the witnesses that should be heard in that particular case," Pettigrew said.
Iran's reformist government volunteered on Monday to help the judiciary find out who killed Kazemi.
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