Reply
Tue 15 Jul, 2003 08:15 am
"Kazemi, 54, an Iranian born freelance journalist from Canada, was arrested after taking photos outside a prison in Tehran on June 23.
She was then allegedly branded a spy and beaten into unconsciousness by police interrogators. One report said she had suffered a brain hemorrhage. The news of her death came to her family in Canada on Saturday."
Read the article here
And BBC reaches new low.
"The brutality of the Mullahs in how they treat their opponents is not a secret. However what is shameful is BBC's efforts to cover up this crime and their biased reporting in what happens in Iran. The BBC on Saturday, 12 July briefly reported this story emphasizing the Islamic Republic's version of it. The title of their story reads the official line of the Isalmic Republic. "A Canadian freelance photographer has died after falling ill in detention in Iran." The rest of the British press almost completely ignored this news or reported it from the Islamic Republic's perspective."
This whole thing sickens me, especially as a Canadian. One must think that Britain placates these butchers in Iran just to keep the peace, considering their involvement with the Iraq war. It is absolutely the smelliest, lowest form of politics.
Since this story has been published and discussed worldwide since Tuesday last week, I have some doubts about the quoted paper (for instance ALL media report that "Stephan Hachemi, Kazemi's son, said he heard from a Canadian official Thursday that his mother was brain-dead and her death officially was confirmed on Friday."
I have no doubt that she was beaten, Walter. How many times have we seen this sort of media 'towing the line' before? Part of that right now is staying on Iran's 'good side'.
I doubt it either. I just doubt the article in that paper ... because I know of this exactly from British media.
Hmm, okay, I understand now. Sometimes though, the noisemakers are necessary to prod folks into looking deeper into things.
Walter - You don't see any difference in reporting in knowing that the son "knew his mother was brain dead" and that she was "beaten to death"?
Interestingly the article quoted berates the BBC in particular and a quick search of the BBC UK site for the name "Kazemi" returns exactly one article on her death and that was published Sunday July 13th (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3061713.stm). It would seem there hasn't been a whole lot of coverage by the BBC on this story.
fishin'
Certainly I see the difference.
I tried the same search as you did on US-newspapers. :wink:
(BBC is a tv/radio broadcaster with online news.)
why would the BBC want to "cover up" this story?
i mean, mamahani has already expressed his fierce dislike of the BBC at several times, but fishin', for example, why would you suggest the BBC would cover up this story?
I don't know BBC's intentions with their justification and glorification of the clerical regime.
One thing is for sure. BBC has lost every inch of respect from the Iranian people.
I watched the news last night, she had been in detention since June 26. She was in prison for two weeks before she died. The Canadian government didn't do enough to ensure her safety or release. Now her body has been buried against the families wishes and the Iranians are refusing to return her remains.
I hope Canada, one of the only remaining western countries allied with Iran, will employ some tough embargos and let Iran know exactly how we feel when one of our citizen's life is threatened.
We cannot allow this to be forgotten or dismissed.
She was a valuable voice for freedom, she will be missed.
Ceili
From the 'Globe and Mail', Canadian newspaper's website:
Quote:[...]
Canada's ambassador to Iran said Tuesday that, to his knowledge, the body of Iranian-Canadian journalist Zhara Kazemi has not been buried.
"The evidence we have seen would suggestÂ…the body has not been buried. Do I have absolute confirmation on that? The answer is no," said Philip MacKinnon, who spoke to reporters via teleconference from Tehran on Tuesday.
He said he believes Ms. Kazemi's body is at the Ministry of Justice in Tehran.
[...]
from IRNA, the Iranian newsagency:
Quote:Presidential committee prevents burial of journalist
Tehran, July 15, IRNA -- A special committee, formed on President
Mohammad Khatami's order to probe the sudden death of an Iranian
photojournalist who worked for a Canadian journal, has prevented the
burial of her body until investigations were final.
An informed source told IRNA Tuesday, that the committee had ruled
against a request from Zahra Kazemi's mother to transfer the body from
the coroner's office to her birthplace in Shiraz for interring.
The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also said
that the committee has categorically rejected the burial as long as
the cause of the journalist's death is not established.
The announcement came as some news agencies and websites alleged
that Kazemi had been buried in Shiraz after the coroner's office had
issued a death certificate.
A source at the coroner's office said without further comments
earlier in the day that it had announced its findings on the cause of
the death to the cabinet and the judge in the case.
Following Kazemi's death, President Khatami ordered Iran's four
ministries of intelligence, interior, culture and justice to form a
committee and bring the cause of the death to light.
And we know that nothing good will emerge from this investigation.
I hope this murder (one of many) of a Canadian/Iranian journalist, becomes a wake up call for those countries who still engage with the murderous regime.
These countries include Canada, The European Union (Britain) and Japan etc etc.
Other states such as North Korea, China and Cuba, have political methods simular to that of the Islamic Republic, and so, you can't expect any less from them.
nimh wrote:why would the BBC want to "cover up" this story?
i mean, mamahani has already expressed his fierce dislike of the BBC at several times, but fishin', for example, why would you suggest the BBC would cover up this story?
I'm not suggesting the BBC has covered up anything. I was only responding to Walter's comment where he said
"I just doubt the article in that paper ... because I know of this exactly from British media."
I looked in a few places on-line (BBC UK, The Times, Guardian Unlimited, etc..) and the original story is correct that there was no mention of the story prior to July 13th.
Media have a time-proven tradition to bury the essence of issues in the verbal lace. Totalitarian regimes have no problem to stage "death of natural reasons" of any of their political opponents. They do not hesitate to kill the people they consider deserving death, but the democratic and liberal media hesitate calling murderers with their real name.
fishin'
This news
Iran investigates journalist death has been :
Quote:Last Updated: Sunday, 13 July, 2003, 16:10 GMT 17:10 UK
It has been on the BBC-website it least since Friday. (With this title since Saturday, which can be proved by a searching with "google.news": they date exactly this above link one day earlier.)
Well, it's not that easy to make a response just after cav's.
Quote:Iran Acquittal in Journalist Murder Upheld
By Associated Press
November 16, 2005, 4:52 PM EST
TEHRAN, Iran -- An appeals court has upheld the acquittal of an Iranian secret agent in the killing a Canadian-Iranian journalist, whose death in detention two years ago led to a diplomatic row between Canada and Iran, defense counsel said Wednesday.
The court upheld the acquittal of Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, an interrogator with the Iranian intelligence ministry and the only suspect in the case, and ruled the death of Zahra Kazemi was not premeditated, said defense lawyer Qasem Shabani.
Kazemi, a Canadian photojournalist of Iranian origin, died in July 2003. She was arrested while taking photographs outside a Tehran prison during a student demonstration.
Canada has campaigned to determine the cause of death. Initially the authorities claimed Kazemi died of a stroke. But faced with international pressure, a committee appointed by then-President Mohammad Khatami found Kazemi died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage caused by a blow to the head.
Ahmadi was acquitted at his Iranian trial in July 2004, but the state appealed.
Lawyers representing Kazemi's relatives and other supporters, including Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian Nobel laureate, have repeatedly said they did not believe that Ahmadi was guilty. They maintain Kazemi was beaten to death by a hard-line prison official.
The Canadian government has blamed Tehran Prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi, who reported Kazemi died of a stroke, for the photojournalist's death. Iranian reformists accused Mortazavi of a cover-up; Mortazavi's office has denied the allegations.
"The appeal court has ordered the primary court to review the case to find out who was really behind the death," Shabani said.
Iran also rejected a Canadian demand for an international forensic team to examine the body, saying its judiciary is competent enough to carry out an investigation.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.
Source
And this, on a related note:
Quote: Rabi Nikoo Granted Asylum
The Iranian radio reporter, Rabi Nikoo has been granted asylum in Sweden.
This overturns a previous decision to have him deported. The verdict comes as a relief to the journalist who claimed he would be imprisoned and tortured if returned to Iran. Nikoo had interviewed a doctor who testified that he had treated the tortured and murdered Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi.
The original decision to deport Rabi Nikoo has been contrasted in the media to Canadian authorities' granting of asylum to the doctor.
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