OTTAWA, May 17: Canada has decided to “constrain” its relations with Iran until Iranian authorities handle the case of the Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi “in a serious and credible manner,” Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew said in a statement Tuesday. “We have decided to constrain our bilateral relations with Iran until Iranian authorities are prepared to deal with this affair in a serious and credible manner,” the statement said.

In Tehran earlier Iran’s judiciary said the case of murdered Canadian-Iranian photographer Zahra Kazemi was still open, though the first appeals hearing into the affair was wrapped up in less than an hour. Judiciary spokesman Jamal Karimi-Rad told reporters a new hearing would be held on July 25 and more witnesses heard.

His comments came the day after lawyers representing the family of Kazemi complained an appeals hearing had lasted just an hour and that the judge refused to hear their demands for a fresh investigation. However, Karimi-Rad said the appeals court had listened to “the necessary explanations from the lawyers” on Monday — adding the Kazemi family lawyers had demanded that Tehran’s hardline public prosecutor Saeed Mortazavi and Iran’s health minister be called to testify.

It was under Mortazavi’s authority that Kazemi was arrested. Kazemi, who was 54, died in custody in Tehran in July 2003 after being arrested for photographing a demonstration outside a Tehran prison. Family lawyers have accused the judiciary of a cover-up.

Iran’s government has acknowledged that Kazemi was violently beaten in prison, though the hardline judiciary has also said she may have died as the result of a fall.

“Yesterday’s events illustrate once again that the Iranian justice system has neither the capacity nor the will to confront the perpetrators of the brutal murder of Zahra Kazemi. Canada will not accept justice being denied,” Pettigrew stressed in his statement.

“We continue to insist on a proper investigation and trial of those guilty of Mrs. Kazemi’s murder and the return of her remains to Canada in accordance with her family’s wishes.

“We will continue to pursue our demands for justice bilaterally with Iranian officials, as well as multilaterally with support from international partners. But the bilateral relationship with Iran cannot proceed as normal. We have decided to constrain our bilateral relations with Iran until Iranian authorities are prepared to deal with this affair in a serious and credible manner,” Pettigrew added.—AFP