Iranian court refuses to reopen investigation into journalist death News
Iranian court refuses to reopen investigation into journalist death

[JURIST] An Iranian court ruled on Monday that it lacked jurisdiction to investigate the death of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi [CBC backgrounder] as a premeditated murder [JURIST report] since the original court ruled the death unintentional. Kazemi died three weeks after being arrested in July 2003 for taking pictures of a government protest outside a prison in Tehran, and the circumstances surrounding her death drew international attention [JURIST report] after evidence of torture and rape [JURIST report] during her detention was discovered. An Iranian agent was acquitted [JURIST report] after a two-day trial that caused the UN to voice human rights concerns [UN press release]. CBC News has more.