A Deafening Silence

(Patrick Corrigan/Toronto Star)

The CBC's last update on the death of Iranian-born Montréal freelance journalist Zahra Kazemi, as far as I can determine, was November 16, 2005. So it's been nearly a year.

Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died in Iranian custody on July 11, 2003, almost three weeks after she was arrested for taking pictures outside a prison during a student protest in Tehran. The case stayed under the radar screens of most Canadians until March 31, 2005, and the stunning revelations of Shahram Azam, a former staff physician in Iran's Defence Ministry, according to this CBC story, titled "Iran's changing story." Too bad Canada's story hasn't.

Azam examined Kazemi four days after her arrest and said she showed obvious signs of torture, including:

1. Evidence of a very brutal rape.
2. A skull fracture, two broken fingers, missing fingernails, a crushed big toe and a broken nose.
3. Severe abdominal bruising, swelling behind the head and a bruised shoulder.
4. Deep scratches on the neck and evidence of flogging on the legs.

I wonder how long it would have taken the Canadian government to get answers if the victim had been, say, Caroline Mulroney? Sadly, it's just business as usual for Canadian diplomacy. Or lack thereof.