Canada-Iran relations
Encyclopedia
Canadian–Iranian relations are the foreign relations and diplomatic ties between Canada
and Iran
. Canadian-Iranian relations date back to 1955, up to which point the Canadian Consular and Commercial Affairs in Iran was handled by the British Embassy. A Canadian diplomatic mission was constructed in Tehran
in 1959 and raised to Embassy status in 1961. Due to rocky relations after the Iranian Revolution
, Iran did not establish an embassy in Canada until 1991 when its staff, which had been living in a building on Roosevelt Avenue
in Ottawa's
west end, moved into 245 Metcalfe Street in the Centretown neighbourhood of Ottawa which was upgraded to embassy status.
and Canada
did not begin until 1955, where up to that point all Canadian interests in Iran had been handled through the British Embassy in Tehran. It was only after Canada achieved greater independence in its foreign affairs that it established a diplomatic mission in Tehran
in 1959, later upgraded to an embassy in 1961. When Ayatollah Khomeini's Iranian Revolution
took hold early in 1979, driving the Shah
from the country, the Canadian Embassy scurried to evacuate the 850 Canadian workers in Iran while those inside the embassy planned to wait it out. Six American diplomats took refuge in the Canadian embassy after Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy and with coordination with the Central Intelligence Agency
, the Canadian government safely evacuated them from the country using fake Canadian passports. The embassy staff was quickly evacuated for fear of retribution against Canadians. This became known as the "Canadian Caper
", and while improving its relations with the United States of America, Canadian–Iranian relations were now extremely volatile.
Canada and Iran did not retain normal relations from 1980 to 1988, though relations were not formally severed. The Canadian government was reluctant to reopen an embassy after the Iranian government had kidnapped and tortured protected diplomats. It was only in 1988 that Canada and Iran agreed to resume diplomatic relations and the Canadian Embassy in Tehran was re-opened. It was only in 1996 that both nations formally exchanged ambassadors. Canadian concerns over human rights abuses in Iran, its record on nuclear non-proliferation, and its opposition to the Middle East peace process have led to a policy of "controlled engagement" by Canadian diplomats when dealing with Iran, such as limiting the range of conversation and restricting bilateral ties; for instance, preventing the establishment of direct air links between both countries or the opening of Iranian consulates and cultural centers elsewhere in Canada other than the main embassy. Canada has also continued to strongly express its concern about the human rights situation in Iran and in particular, such problems as the independence of the judiciary, arbitrary detention, freedom of expression, treatment of women and treatment of persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, such as members of the Bahá'í Faith
.
In June 2003 a Iranian with dual Canadian citizenship, Zahra Kazemi
, a freelancer photographer, was detained by Iranian police for taking pictures outside the notorious Evin prison
in Iran. She died in custody from what Iranian officials called a stroke while being interrogated. An Iranian presidential report dismissed the idea she had died of a stroke and accused Iranian hardliners of circling the myth in order to absolve themselves of responsibility. The report stated she died in police custody on July 10, after spending 14 days in hospital as a result of a "fractured skull, brain hemorrhage and its consequences resulting from a hard object hitting the head or the head hitting a hard object." The report did not elaborate on whether or not the blow was intentional or who had done it. The more conservative judiciary rejected the presidential finding and claimed Kazemi had fallen and hit her head during a hunger strike. Shahram Azam
, a former military staff physician who used his purported knowledge of Kazemi's case for seeking asylum in Canada in 2004, has stated that he examined Kazemi's body and observed that Kazemi showed obvious signs of torture, including a skull fracture, broken nose, crushed toe, missing fingernails, broken fingers, signs of brutal rape, marks from flogging, deep scratches on her neck, and severe abdominal bruising. The Canadian government condemned Iran for what it called "State-sanctioned murder", though Iranian officials claimed Azam had been released prior to Zahra Kazemi's detention due to "mental health problems". Canada recalled its Iranian ambassador after Iranian officials refused to return the body of Kazemi per her family's request.
Canada and Iran took the dispute over Zahra Kazemi onto the international stage when Canada drafted a United Nations
resolution condemning the human rights abuses in Iran and showing concern for Iran's use of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, in particular the practice of amputation
and flogging, much to Iran's annoyance. Gholamhossein Elham, the Iranian judiciary spokesman, was quoted as saying "The Canadian government has the worst, most backward and racist judiciary system." Iran further accused a Canadian police officer of gunning down in cold blood 18-year-old Iranian Kayvan Tabesh on July 14 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The police officer said he was acting in self-defence after the teenager allegedly charged at him with a machete. It also presented a 70-page report before the adaption of the resolution, detailing so called human rights abuses in Canada in an attempt to discredit the main backer of the resolution.
In October 2005, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave a speech at a conference entitled "The World Without Zionism". During the speech he made comments that were widely interpreted as anti-semitic by the Jewish community and the Western world
in general. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin called on Iran's top diplomat in Canada and gave a formal reprimand, while telling the press, "That kind of lack of respect, intolerance, anti-Semitism—this is the 21st century and that statement is just out of an era that is long past and never should have occurred."
On May 17, 2005, Canada decided to tighten its controlled engagement policy by limiting talks with Iran down to four subjects:
On December 26, 2006, the United Nations Security Council
unanimously adopted Resolution 1737, demanding that Iran suspend its Uranium enrichment program or face economic sanctions
. On February 22, the Governor-in-Council made new regulations under the United Nations Act: the Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolution on Iran. Together with existing relevant provisions of the Canada Shipping Act, the Export and Import Permits Act and the Nuclear Safety and Control Act
, these provisions allowed Canada to bring economic sanctions against Iran as requested in resolution 1737. The sanctions include a ban on things that could contribute to Iran's activities linked to enrichment, reprocessing, heavy water or the development of nuclear weapons delivery systems. It also deals with freezing assets and travel notification of Iranian officials in Canada.
In June, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
told the Islamic Republic News Agency
that Canada was “hiding some spies at their embassy in Tehran and allowing them to escape”. Mottaki told the IRNA that he warned his Canadian counterpart at the UN General Assembly in 2005 that "Canada should be aware of its limits and realize what country it was dealing with." On November 30 the conservative-dominated parliament in Iran accused the Canadian embassy of being a "den of spies" for the United States and launched a query to investigate and Iranian MPs would meet with the Iranian Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie to discuss the charges.
In 2007, moves to warm relations between the two countries occurred with the Supreme Court in Iran calling for another review of the death of Zahra Kazemi, and an attempt to once more try to exchange ambassadors. Canada rejected two Iranian candidates though after Canadian intelligence suggested they may have been involved with the radical student uprising that stormed the U.S. embassy in 1979. After this, Iran refused to review the credentials of the Canadian candidate John Mundy
, which Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier
claimed was "retaliation for Ottawa's rejection of Iran's top choices". He was later expelled from Tehran.
In a case similar to Zarah Kazemi's, a prominent Canadian-Iranian blogger, Hossein Derakhshan
, was detained by police in 2008 over remarks he made about the Shiite faith, according to the Iranian Judiciary.
in Tehran
, Zahra Kazemi
, a freelancer photojournalist, was taken into custody by Iranian police and interrogated by police, prosecutors and intelligence officials for 77 hours for unspecified reasons. June 27, 2003, 12:20 a.m. she was admitted to Baghiatollah hospital and is visited by Officials with Canada's Foreign Affairs Department. A few days later, on July 11, Kazemi died in the hospital from brain damage due to an apparent beating, and Ottawa
orders Canada's ambassador to Iran
– Philip MacKinnon – to investigate Kazemi's death. On July 13 Iran's official new agency reported that Kazemi had suffered a stroke during interrogation, and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
John Manley
personally called on Iran to return the body of Zahra Kazemi to Canada, though Iranian officials claimed it was already buried. Two days later, on July 16, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi
admitted that Kazemi had been beaten and tortured which resulted in her death. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
then called on the Iranian government to punish those who committed the crime.
Iran's official news agency confirms on July 20 that Kazemi died of a skull fracture due to an apparent "physical attack". Upon calls for swifter action in the investigation of Kazemi's death, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham
claimed Kazemi's treatment; "was a flagrant violation of her rights under international human rights law and a breach of obligations that Iran owes to the international community."
On July 23 Canada recalled its ambassador from Iran, angry at the way Iranian officials were handling the investigation. In response, Iran accused a British Columbia
police officer of shooting and killing an Iranian national. On July 25, Iranian officials arrested five people in connection with the death of Kazemi and a Canadian foreign affairs spokesperson claimed the arrests would "satisfy Canada". Iran announced charges of complicity in "quasi-intentional murder" against two interrogators from the Intelligence Ministry, though they were later dropped, after allegations that they were being used as scapegoats.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Canadian-Iranian relations date back to 1955, up to which point the Canadian Consular and Commercial Affairs in Iran was handled by the British Embassy. A Canadian diplomatic mission was constructed in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
in 1959 and raised to Embassy status in 1961. Due to rocky relations after the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
, Iran did not establish an embassy in Canada until 1991 when its staff, which had been living in a building on Roosevelt Avenue
Roosevelt Avenue
Roosevelt Avenue is a main thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Queens. Roosevelt Avenue begins at 48th Street and Queens Boulevard in the neighborhood of Sunnyside...
in Ottawa's
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
west end, moved into 245 Metcalfe Street in the Centretown neighbourhood of Ottawa which was upgraded to embassy status.
History
Independent relations between IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
did not begin until 1955, where up to that point all Canadian interests in Iran had been handled through the British Embassy in Tehran. It was only after Canada achieved greater independence in its foreign affairs that it established a diplomatic mission in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
in 1959, later upgraded to an embassy in 1961. When Ayatollah Khomeini's Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
took hold early in 1979, driving the Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
from the country, the Canadian Embassy scurried to evacuate the 850 Canadian workers in Iran while those inside the embassy planned to wait it out. Six American diplomats took refuge in the Canadian embassy after Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy and with coordination with the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, the Canadian government safely evacuated them from the country using fake Canadian passports. The embassy staff was quickly evacuated for fear of retribution against Canadians. This became known as the "Canadian Caper
Canadian caper
The "Canadian Caper" was the popular name given to the covert rescue by the Government of Canada of six American diplomats who evaded capture during the seizure of the United States embassy in Tehran, Iran and taking of embassy personnel as hostages by the Iranians on November 4, 1979.- Sanctuary...
", and while improving its relations with the United States of America, Canadian–Iranian relations were now extremely volatile.
Canada and Iran did not retain normal relations from 1980 to 1988, though relations were not formally severed. The Canadian government was reluctant to reopen an embassy after the Iranian government had kidnapped and tortured protected diplomats. It was only in 1988 that Canada and Iran agreed to resume diplomatic relations and the Canadian Embassy in Tehran was re-opened. It was only in 1996 that both nations formally exchanged ambassadors. Canadian concerns over human rights abuses in Iran, its record on nuclear non-proliferation, and its opposition to the Middle East peace process have led to a policy of "controlled engagement" by Canadian diplomats when dealing with Iran, such as limiting the range of conversation and restricting bilateral ties; for instance, preventing the establishment of direct air links between both countries or the opening of Iranian consulates and cultural centers elsewhere in Canada other than the main embassy. Canada has also continued to strongly express its concern about the human rights situation in Iran and in particular, such problems as the independence of the judiciary, arbitrary detention, freedom of expression, treatment of women and treatment of persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities, such as members of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
.
In June 2003 a Iranian with dual Canadian citizenship, Zahra Kazemi
Zahra Kazemi
Zahra "Ziba" Kazemi-Ahmadabadi was an Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer, residing in Montreal, Canada, who died in the custody of Iranian officials following her arrest....
, a freelancer photographer, was detained by Iranian police for taking pictures outside the notorious Evin prison
Evin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
in Iran. She died in custody from what Iranian officials called a stroke while being interrogated. An Iranian presidential report dismissed the idea she had died of a stroke and accused Iranian hardliners of circling the myth in order to absolve themselves of responsibility. The report stated she died in police custody on July 10, after spending 14 days in hospital as a result of a "fractured skull, brain hemorrhage and its consequences resulting from a hard object hitting the head or the head hitting a hard object." The report did not elaborate on whether or not the blow was intentional or who had done it. The more conservative judiciary rejected the presidential finding and claimed Kazemi had fallen and hit her head during a hunger strike. Shahram Azam
Shahram Azam
Shahram Azam is an Iranian doctor famous for his testimony in the death of Zahra Kazemi.Dr. Azam claims to have worked as a doctor at Tehran's Baghiattulah military hospital before fleeing Iran. On June 27, 2003, the unconscious body of Kazemi was brought in for examination, and Dr. Azam...
, a former military staff physician who used his purported knowledge of Kazemi's case for seeking asylum in Canada in 2004, has stated that he examined Kazemi's body and observed that Kazemi showed obvious signs of torture, including a skull fracture, broken nose, crushed toe, missing fingernails, broken fingers, signs of brutal rape, marks from flogging, deep scratches on her neck, and severe abdominal bruising. The Canadian government condemned Iran for what it called "State-sanctioned murder", though Iranian officials claimed Azam had been released prior to Zahra Kazemi's detention due to "mental health problems". Canada recalled its Iranian ambassador after Iranian officials refused to return the body of Kazemi per her family's request.
Canada and Iran took the dispute over Zahra Kazemi onto the international stage when Canada drafted a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
resolution condemning the human rights abuses in Iran and showing concern for Iran's use of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, in particular the practice of amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
and flogging, much to Iran's annoyance. Gholamhossein Elham, the Iranian judiciary spokesman, was quoted as saying "The Canadian government has the worst, most backward and racist judiciary system." Iran further accused a Canadian police officer of gunning down in cold blood 18-year-old Iranian Kayvan Tabesh on July 14 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The police officer said he was acting in self-defence after the teenager allegedly charged at him with a machete. It also presented a 70-page report before the adaption of the resolution, detailing so called human rights abuses in Canada in an attempt to discredit the main backer of the resolution.
In October 2005, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave a speech at a conference entitled "The World Without Zionism". During the speech he made comments that were widely interpreted as anti-semitic by the Jewish community and the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
in general. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin called on Iran's top diplomat in Canada and gave a formal reprimand, while telling the press, "That kind of lack of respect, intolerance, anti-Semitism—this is the 21st century and that statement is just out of an era that is long past and never should have occurred."
On May 17, 2005, Canada decided to tighten its controlled engagement policy by limiting talks with Iran down to four subjects:
- The human rights situation in Iran
- Iran's nuclear program and its 'lack of respect for its non-proliferation obligations
- The case of Mrs. Zahra Kazemi who was killed in an Iranian prison by regime officials in 2003
- Iran's role in the region.
On December 26, 2006, the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
unanimously adopted Resolution 1737, demanding that Iran suspend its Uranium enrichment program or face economic sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
. On February 22, the Governor-in-Council made new regulations under the United Nations Act: the Regulations Implementing the United Nations Resolution on Iran. Together with existing relevant provisions of the Canada Shipping Act, the Export and Import Permits Act and the Nuclear Safety and Control Act
Nuclear Safety and Control Act
The Nuclear Safety and Control Act of Canada replaced the Atomic Energy Control Act of 1946 with new, more effective and explicit legislation to regulate the activities of the Canadian nuclear industry. The NSCA also provided for the establishment of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission , which...
, these provisions allowed Canada to bring economic sanctions against Iran as requested in resolution 1737. The sanctions include a ban on things that could contribute to Iran's activities linked to enrichment, reprocessing, heavy water or the development of nuclear weapons delivery systems. It also deals with freezing assets and travel notification of Iranian officials in Canada.
In June, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
Manouchehr Mottaki
Manouchehr Mottaki is an Iranian politician and diplomat. He was the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Whilst technically appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he is considered to be closer to more pragmatic conservative factions and during the 2005 presidential election, he was the campaign...
told the Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamic Republic News Agency
The Islamic Republic News Agency , or IRNA, is the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is government-funded and controlled under the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. The agency also publishes the newspaper Iran. , the Managing Director of IRNA is Ali Akbar...
that Canada was “hiding some spies at their embassy in Tehran and allowing them to escape”. Mottaki told the IRNA that he warned his Canadian counterpart at the UN General Assembly in 2005 that "Canada should be aware of its limits and realize what country it was dealing with." On November 30 the conservative-dominated parliament in Iran accused the Canadian embassy of being a "den of spies" for the United States and launched a query to investigate and Iranian MPs would meet with the Iranian Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejeie to discuss the charges.
In 2007, moves to warm relations between the two countries occurred with the Supreme Court in Iran calling for another review of the death of Zahra Kazemi, and an attempt to once more try to exchange ambassadors. Canada rejected two Iranian candidates though after Canadian intelligence suggested they may have been involved with the radical student uprising that stormed the U.S. embassy in 1979. After this, Iran refused to review the credentials of the Canadian candidate John Mundy
John Mundy (diplomat)
John Mundy is a Canadian diplomat. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Iran and previously a diplomat to Australia. Mundy was expelled by Iran on December 4, 2007 and replaced by a chargé d'affaires. Mr Mundy retired from Government service in 2008 and has subsequently written...
, which Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier
Maxime Bernier
Maxime Bernier, PC, MP is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper....
claimed was "retaliation for Ottawa's rejection of Iran's top choices". He was later expelled from Tehran.
In a case similar to Zarah Kazemi's, a prominent Canadian-Iranian blogger, Hossein Derakhshan
Hossein Derakhshan
Hossein Derakhshan , also known as Hoder, is an Iranian blogger. He is credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and is called the father of Persian blogging by many journalists. He also helped to promote podcasting in Iran...
, was detained by police in 2008 over remarks he made about the Shiite faith, according to the Iranian Judiciary.
Case of Zahra Kazemi
While taking photographs of a student led protest outside the infamous Evin prisonEvin Prison
Evin House of Detention is a prison in Iran, located in Evin, northwestern Tehran. It is noted for its political prisoners' wing, where prisoners have been held both before and after the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Zahra Kazemi
Zahra Kazemi
Zahra "Ziba" Kazemi-Ahmadabadi was an Iranian-Canadian freelance photographer, residing in Montreal, Canada, who died in the custody of Iranian officials following her arrest....
, a freelancer photojournalist, was taken into custody by Iranian police and interrogated by police, prosecutors and intelligence officials for 77 hours for unspecified reasons. June 27, 2003, 12:20 a.m. she was admitted to Baghiatollah hospital and is visited by Officials with Canada's Foreign Affairs Department. A few days later, on July 11, Kazemi died in the hospital from brain damage due to an apparent beating, and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
orders Canada's ambassador to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
– Philip MacKinnon – to investigate Kazemi's death. On July 13 Iran's official new agency reported that Kazemi had suffered a stroke during interrogation, and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
The Deputy Prime Minister of Canada is an honorary position in the cabinet, conferred at the discretion of the prime minister. There is currently, , no deputy prime minister....
John Manley
John Manley
John Manley may refer to:* John Manley , English soldier, MP and Postmaster General* John Manley, Canadian politician* John Manley , British archaeologist* John H. Manley, American nuclear physicist...
personally called on Iran to return the body of Zahra Kazemi to Canada, though Iranian officials claimed it was already buried. Two days later, on July 16, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi
Mohammad Ali Abtahi
Hojjat ol-Eslam Seyyed Mohammad Ali Abtahi is an Iranian theologian, scholar, pro-democracy activist and chairman of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue. He is a former Vice President of Iran and a close associate of former President Mohammad Khatami...
admitted that Kazemi had been beaten and tortured which resulted in her death. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
then called on the Iranian government to punish those who committed the crime.
Iran's official news agency confirms on July 20 that Kazemi died of a skull fracture due to an apparent "physical attack". Upon calls for swifter action in the investigation of Kazemi's death, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham
Bill Graham
William Carvel "Bill" Graham, PC QC is a former Canadian politician, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Leader of the Opposition and interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Personal life:...
claimed Kazemi's treatment; "was a flagrant violation of her rights under international human rights law and a breach of obligations that Iran owes to the international community."
On July 23 Canada recalled its ambassador from Iran, angry at the way Iranian officials were handling the investigation. In response, Iran accused a British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
police officer of shooting and killing an Iranian national. On July 25, Iranian officials arrested five people in connection with the death of Kazemi and a Canadian foreign affairs spokesperson claimed the arrests would "satisfy Canada". Iran announced charges of complicity in "quasi-intentional murder" against two interrogators from the Intelligence Ministry, though they were later dropped, after allegations that they were being used as scapegoats.