Zahra Kazemi and Evin Prison

On Thursday a refugee Iranian doctor spoke at a news conference listing the bruises, broken bones and other injuries he found on Zahra Kazemi, the Iranian-Canadian journo who died mysteriously in 2003 while in Iranian custody accused of photographing Tehran’s Evin Prison. These could only have been the result of the deliberate torture and rape., he stated. Her death has been a sore point in Canada-Iran relations, and the recent testimony has caused Prime Minister Paul Martin to return to the issue, saying that Iran must “be held to account.”

In 2004 I visited the notorious Evin prison in northern Tehran. It is particularly famous for housing many political prisoners over the years, including prior to 1979. The complex was built over 100 years ago and covers a large hill, you can see the walls crisscrossing the hill from the highway. Up close the walls have NO PHOTOGRAPHY signs everywhere. Mindful of the lesson Kazemi taught us, I kept my camera out of site while cruising by the well-guarded front gates. Luckily I only saw the outside of the prison, unlike Naser Ghalambar Dezfouli and filmmaker Golmahammad Rahati.