TEHRAN, July 21: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Monday ordered action against those responsible for the death of arrested Iranian-Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi, after an official inquiry left many questions unanswered.

Justice Minister Ayatollah Hashemi Shahrudi had complied with President Khatami’s demand in ordering a new probe, the state news agency IRNA said.

But critics warned that it would go nowhere as the case involved senior members of the hardline judiciary, notably chief Tehran prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi.

IRNA said the president had forwarded the report of the inquiry to the minister, saying, “I expect you to immediately order a full investigation to discover the realities and identify those guilty or neglectful in this tragic incident”.

“Appropriate judicial measures will allow the implementation of justice and the law, and assure society that individual rights will be defended more than in the past,” he added.

Shahrudi for his part sent the president’s demand to Mortazavi, telling him to deal with the case “immediately and in conformity with the law” and take “strong measures against the culprit,” IRNA said.

The report said Kazemi had died of a brain haemorrhage from a fractured skull following a blow to the head in custody, without specifying how it was sustained.

Over the past few days reformist deputies have been calling for an explanation from Mortazavi about his role in the case, which has seriously damaged relations between Iran and Canada.

MP Fatemeh Rakeie told the labour news agency ILNA that following Kazemi’s death Mortazavi had summoned the head of the culture ministry to demand he announce that she had suffered a stroke.

“Said Mortazavi then contacted IRNA to ensure that the information was put out as quickly as possible,” she added.

The head of the parliamentary judicial and legal committee, Naser Ghavami, told ILNA that “if the investigation into the responsibility for Kazemi’s death is given to the judiciary, it will end up nowhere.

“The judiciary itself faces accusations, therefore a committee must be formed to identify the killer and only then should the guilty be handed over for punishment.

“The judge and prosecutor were responsible for the life of the accused and they must explain why the accused who was in their care was killed.”

Kazemi, 54, was arrested on June 23 outside Tehran’s Evin prison while taking photographs of protestors demanding the release of relatives locked up during last month’s protests.

Between June 23 and June 27, when she was admitted to hospital, she spent 21 hours with the prosecutors, then 26 hours in police hands, a further four hours with the prosecutors and finally 26 hours being questioned by intelligence ministry officials.

The official report into her death said, “According to the pathologist, Ms Kazemi died from a fracture of the skull, a cerebral haemorrhage and its consequences after either a hard object struck her head, or her head struck a hard object”.

“This report is not enough and there remain ambiguities over the result of the autopsy and the role of the different institutions who were holding Zahra Kazemi,” said Elaheh Kulaiee, an MP for Tehran.

The 14-page report was prepared by the intelligence, culture, interior, justice and health ministries on the order of President Khatami, amid protests from Canada.

It draws no conclusions about the cause of the fatal blow, though it suggests it occurred in the 36 hours before Kazemi was sent to hospital. Nor does it explain why authorities waited for nearly two weeks before officially announcing her death.

It also steers clear of pointing a finger at the various institutions involved in questioning her, calling only for “all agents in contact with Zahra Kazemi” on June 25 and 26 to be “identified and interrogated”.

“The inquiry committee has intentionally refused to accuse anyone in order to avoid interfering with the affairs of the judiciary,” explained a close ally of the president.

According to the report, Zahrah Kazemi complained to police that she suffered “punitive measures” during the 21 hours she was with agents from Mortazavi’s office.—AFP