The front page of the Globe and Mail today outlined the injuries of Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian photojournalist who suspiciously died while in Iranian custody.
An Iranian doctor who had examined Kazemi, while she was unconscious, noted the following strange injuries:
- Bruised from forearm to ear
- Skull fracture
- Two broken fingers
- Broken and missing fingernails
- Severe abdominal bruising
- Evidence of ‘very brutal rape’
- Swelling behind the head
- Burst ear membrane
- Bruised shoulder
- Deep scratches on the neck
- Broken ‘nose-bone’
- Evidence of flogging to the legs
- Crushed big toe
Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal Minister of Foreign Affairs, maintained the government’s soft power approach as he said:
“Iran is continuing to not respect the most fundamental human rights, and this must stop… This new evidence only strengthens our position and confirms that this was not an accident. It does not change our position. Quite the contrary. The family wants answers. Canadians want answers, and we will be pursuing this until justice is done.” — Pierre Pettigrew
I doubt Iranian officials have taken notice.
Conservatives are calling for political action, not simply obvious yet vacant words. Stockwell Day, foreign affairs critic for the Conservative Party of Canada issued this strong statement:
“The federal government must acknowledge that its strategy of soft diplomacy towards the brutish Iranian regime has been an utter failure.” — Stockwell Day
Day continued to press Pettigrew and the Martin Liberals to withdraw our ambassador from Tehran to protest Iran’s inaction concerning the determination of the truth surrounding the death, and now confirmed torture, of one of our citizens.