Zahra "Ziba" Kazemi (زهرا کاظمی in Persian) (1949 - July 11, 2003) was an Iranian-born freelance photographer, residing in Montreal, Canada, who was killed by Iranian intelligence agents during an interrogation following her arrest in that country. Her proper burial place stirred international controversy and may cause deterioration of Iran-Canada diplomatic relations.

Born in Shiraz, Kazemi moved to France in 1974 to study literature and cinema at the University of Paris. With her son, Kazemi immigrated to Quebec in 1993, where she later gained dual citizenship as an Iranian and Canadian national. In addition to her resident countries, Kazemi's photojournalist works were mostly done in the Muslim nations of Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq, in all three cases, when the said countries where under US occupation. Immediately prior to her travelling to Iran, Ms. Kazemi was in Iraq for freelance work.

Travelling back to her birth country using her Iranian passport, Kazemi was allowed into Iran to take photographs of the possible demonstrations that were expected to take place in Tehran in July 2003. However, on June 23, 2003, she was arrested in front of Evin prison taking photographs in sensitive areas where photography and video recording is strictly prohibited.

Nineteen days later, she died in Iranian custody in Baghia-t-ollah al-Azam Military Hospital. It is widely believed she was beaten to death; after initial denials, Iranian government sources later admitted that she had died of a fractured skull as a result of being beaten.

Her death sparked a sharp diplomatic response from Canada, which insisted that her body be returned to her Canadian son.

Her death also raised concerns from international human rights and free speech groups (such as Reporters Without Borders) concerned over the fate of journalists in Iran. Ten journalists are currently (as of August 2003) in custody in Iran, and 85 newspapers have been shut down since April 2000.

Timeline of Events Following Her Death, July-August 2003

  • July 13 - IRNA, Iran's official news agency reports that Kazemi "suffered a stroke when she was subject to interrogation and died in hospital." The same day, under pressure from Canada, Iran's president, Mohammad Khatami, orders an assembly of five ministers to investigate into her death.

  • July 16 - Iran admits beating killed Kazemi.

  • July 20 - IRNA reports that Kazemi died from a fractured skull caused by "a physical attack."

  • July 21 - Prosecutor General Saeed Mortazavi is appointed by Iran to head an independent investigative group to look into her death. This appointment is immediately fiercely attacked by pro-reformist Iranian MPs, as Mortazavi had himself been accused of failing to prevent Kazemi's death, and was widely believed to be behind a recent wave of arrests of writers and journalists. Given this controversy, the investigation appeared unlikely to mollify a Canada growing increasingly impatient with Iran's unwillingness to "clearly demonstrate that officials are not allowed to act with impunity" (Foreign Minister Bill Graham, news conference).

  • July 23 - Kazemi's body is buried in her hometown of Shiraz in Iran, according to the wishes of her mother (Ezzat Kazemi) and relatives in Iran, but contrary to the wishes of her son (Stephan Hachemi, who resides in Montreal), and Canadian officials. Consequently, Canada recalls its ambassador to Iran until further notice, and discusses the possibility of sanctions against Iran.

  • July 25 - Iranian Foreign Minister echos the words of Canadian officials almost word for word for Ottawa in reference to the death of an 18-year-old Iranian citizen in Vancouver, Canada, at the hands of undercover Canadian police which occurred around the same time as Ms. Kazemi's death. He demands that Canadian officials "clearly demonstrate that officials in Canada are not allowed to act with impunity, ... [and] The Islamic republic will seek through diplomatic channels clear and convincing explanations of this crime," he said.

  • July 26 - Iran announces that it has arrested five members of its security services in connection with the investigation, but gives no further details.

  • July 30 - Iran's vice-president, Mohammad Ali Abtahi says Kazemi was probably murdered by government agents.

  • August 25 - Two Iranian intelligence agents who had interrogated Kazemi are charged with complicity in her death. The Teheran prosecutor's office releases a statement reading in part, "The charges levelled against the interrogators, who are said to be members of the Intelligence Ministry, are announced as complicity in semi-intentional murder."

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