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Reuters
 TEHRAN - Lawyers representing the
family of a Canadian photographer who died in custody in Iran said on Monday she was
deliberately killed and demanded an impartial court retry the case.
Zahra Kazemi, a Montreal-based photojournalist,
died in July 2003 after her skull was split after being arrested for taking
photographs outside Tehran's Evin
prison where many political dissidents are held.
"Forensic reports show her head was hit in two spots and based on
Islamic penal code, this cannot be unintentional," 2003 Nobel Peace
Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi,
one of the four lawyers acting for Kazemi's
family, told the court hearing.
But the judge said a preliminary court had already found the killing had
been 'unintentional' and said Monday's hearing was not in a position to
discuss the issue.
Ebadi said previous courts were biased and asked
the Judiciary to send the case to an impartial court.
"If justice is not served in Iran, I will appeal to international
courts and human rights organizations," Ebadi
told Reuters.
The case severely damaged ties between Iran and Canada. Ottawa has twice withdrawn its
ambassador and in May froze most ties with Tehran, accusing Iranian authorities
of failing to investigate the death properly. Though Iranian-born, Kazemi had taken Canadian citizenship.
Foreign media were barred from Monday's court hearing.
"I do not consider this hearing as an open court hearing. Why were
foreign media not allowed to attend at the hearing?" Ebadi asked.
Iran's conservative judiciary initially said Kazemi had died of a stroke but an investigation by the
reformist government revealed she had received a heavy blow during
questioning which caused a brain haemorrhage.
The judiciary last year acquitted an intelligence agent charged with the
murder of Kazemi and argued she had died in an
accident, hitting her head after fainting.
At the last hearing of the appeal in May, lawyers for Kazemi's
family argued the original court did not have jurisdiction to rule in such
the case.
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