THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAME UNDER FIRE TUESDAY FOR FAILING TO HOLD IRAN TO ACCOUNT FOR THE DEATH OF KAVOUS SEYED-EMAMI, A JAILED IRANIAN-CANADIAN.
Academic buried Tuesday after death in custody
As Iranian-Canadian academic Kavous Seyed-Emami was buried Tuesday in Iran, the Canadian government drew sharp criticism for failing to hold the Iranian regime to account for his suspicious death.
“They could have played a role in backing up the family’s demands for an autopsy and creating an international environment in which Iran would be accountable,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran. “They did none of that, which was highly disappointing.”
Conservative foreign affairs critic Erin O’Toole said the government response is part of “a troubling pattern on Iran” since the Liberals were elected in 2015 with a platform of normalizing ties with Iran. He said the silence from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been “deafening” during the latest Iranian protests and the subsequent crackdown that has led to thousands of arrests.
O’Toole said Canada should be working with allies to denounce Iran’s destabilizing role in the region and to demand a role in an 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 and answers into the circumstances surrounding this tragedy. We will continue to use every means at Canada’s disposal to seek further information,” she said.
Human rights activists say it is common in Iran for authorities to pressure the families of people who die in custody to bury the dead quickly to avoid scrutiny.
Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi called Seyed-Emami a spy and said his death in Tehran’s Evin prison was a suicide, a claim questioned by his family. He is the third political prisoner this year whose death was ruled a suicide.
“Statements by Iranian judicial authorities show a lack of will to conduct impartial inquiries into SeyedEmami’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 Imam Sadeq University in Tehran and was managing director of the Persian Heritage Wildlife Foundation.
Seyed-Emami’s son Ramin, a musician who performs as King Raam, posted a photo to Twitter Tuesday showing mourners in front of flowers and a photo of his father, with the message, “Love you dad.”
Human Rights Watch reported that a statement from the family said they had been told they could retrieve Seyed-Emami’s body Tuesday morning “on the condition that they immediately and quietly bury him.”
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.”
THEY COULD HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN BACKING UP THE FAMILY’S DEMANDS FOR AN AUTOPSY.