National Post (National Edition)
Grits draw fire for response to Iranian-Canadian’s death
independent autopsy of Seyed-Emami.
“Canadians can’t be lulled into a sense that this is a country we need to do more with,” he said. “Canadians should be very aware that it’s a destabilizing country and should be cautious about any dealing with it.”
Late Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that “we have repeatedly expressed our concerns to the Government of Iran and will continue to do so.
“A Canadian has died. We expect the Government of Iran to provide information this year whose death was ruled a suicide.
“Statements by Iranian judicial authorities show a lack of will to conduct impartial inquiries into Seyed-Emami’s death,” Tara Sepehri Far, Iran researcher for Human Rights Watch, said Tuesday. “We are concerned that the family has also been under pressure not to pursue an investigation. The Canadian government should pressure Iran to allow for an independent investigation.”
Seyed-Emami, 63, was a dual citizen of Iran and Canada who taught sociology at
The Tehran prosecutor said authorities have security video footage showing Seyed-Emami preparing to hang himself with his shirt. Ghaemi was skeptical, but added that even if he took his own life, “the question is, what did they do to him to make him reach that point? What kind of medication was he given? What psychological abuse did they subject him to?”
Seyed-Emami was arrested Jan 24 along with other officials of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. The foundation works to preserve wildlife, including the endangered Asiatic cheetah, but the government charged that its members were spying on behalf of Israel and the United States.
Ghaemi said Canada should be working to seek answers in co-operation with the European Union, whose member countries have dual nationals imprisoned in Iran.
“I think Canada on one hand wants to tread gently and restore relations and get into the competition for business and trade where many countries are competing,” he said.
“But at the same time it seems to really not be able to follow up on its bigger principles for civil rights and human rights that have become the hallmark of Trudeau’s prime-ministership worldwide. I see a lot of confusion in the government’s approach to Iran.”