BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 
Arnold Amber
CBC Television Network News
President
 
Mori Abdolalian
CJFE Journalists in Exile
 
Frank Addario
Lawyer
 
Marlene Benmergui
Freelance
 
Nancy Bennett
Developing Countries Farm Radio Network
 
Bob Carty
CBC-Radio "This Morning"
 
Phinjo Gombu
The Toronto Star
 
Bob Hepburn
The Toronto Star
 
Kokila Jacob
Freelance
 
Paul Knox
The Globe and Mail
 
Eric Morgan
CJFE@UofT
 
Carol Off
CBC Television Network News
 
Brian MacLeod Rogers
Lawyer
 
John Paton
Toronto
 
John Stackhouse
The Globe and Mail
ADVISORY BOARD
 
Peter Desbarats
Maclean-Hunter Chair for Communications Ethics, Ryerson
 
Parker Barss Donham
freelance
 
John Honderich
The Toronto Star
 
John Macfarlane
Toronto Life
 
Joe Matyas
Southern Ontario Newspaper Guild
 
Ann Medina
freelance
 
Rick Moffat
Radio-TV News Directors Assn.
 
Lynda Powless
Native Journalists' Association
 
Lloyd Robertson
CTV News
 
Robert Scully
Télémision Information Inc.
 
Julian Sher
Canadian Association of Journalists
 
Keith Spicer
Institut du Monde anglophone
Université de Paris III
Sorbonne nouvelle
 
Norman Webster
Montreal
Executive Director
Joel Ruimy 		Media Release

Iran's Admission Not Enough: CJFE

July 16, 2003 -- Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) said today that despite the latest admissions by the Government of Iran, it remains necessary to hold an independent investigation into the killing of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.

"Iranian authorities at first said Ms. Kazemi had suffered a stroke while in custody," CJFE Executive Director Joel Ruimy said. "Now they admit she died after being beaten. This piecemeal process is unacceptable. What else are they concealing from the world?

"The Iranian government must allow the return of her body to Canada, in accordance with the wishes of her son, so that an independent autopsy can be conducted to establish the full truth about what happened to the journalist."

Zahra Kazemi, a 54-year-old Canadian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested on or about June 23 by Iranian security officers as she took photos of a prison in Tehran where protesters had been incarcerated following recent student protests. She lapsed into a coma sometime afterwards and was reported dead last Friday.

Today, Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abtahi said: "According to a report by the health minister she has died of a brain hemorrhage resulting from beatings."

Also today, a report by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)said that "anyone deemed responsible ... would be brought to justice." CJFE welcomes this commitment and will monitor whether Iran keeps its promise. But the same report also quoted government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh as saying that "since [Ms. Kazemi] is an Iranian, no country has the right to seek the transfer of her body."

"Everyone who values press freedom must demand that Iran act in good faith and let the truth about this savage crime emerge," Ruimy said. "We especially call on the Canadian government to forcefully press Iran to allow the return of Ms. Kazemi's body to this country."

For more information, please contact Joel Ruimy at (416) 515-9622 or at cjfe@cjfe.org