Remember Zahra Kazemi

If I can be so bold as to offer some advice to my fellow Canadians, it is this: make sure that if you travel overseas you do not cross any lunatic dictatorships. Because it is manifestly clear that our government will not lift one single fucking finger to help you.

That's Bob Tarantino, on our government's disgraceful non-response to the murder of Zahra Kazemi by Iranian government officials.

If only Kazemi had been tortured, raped and killed - heck, if she'd merely gotten a black eye - at Abu Gahrib (after March, 2003) or at Guantanamo Bay. Then she'd be a household name up here.

Update: there are no words:

While publicly denouncing the killing of Zahra Kazemi in July 2003, Canadian officials were also quietly allowing an Iranian government official to visit Canada, according to documents obtained by CBC Radio.

Iran had requested that one of its officials, Seyed Abu Talib Najafi, be briefed on the workings of Canada's new Advance Passenger Information database, designed to identify potential threats to civil aircraft before they board.

According to e-mails obtained under the Access to Information Act, Customs officials were concerned about the visit becoming public. One e-mail said: "We should keep this as low-key as possible."

Two e-mails within Canada Customs suggested there were concerns: "What's our position about the requesting country? ... in view of the current situation with Iran."
[...]
Foreign Affairs told Customs officials its only concern was "whether [Najafi] will be able to get his visa in time."

In dozens of e-mails, there is no mention of Kazemi, and no one questions why Canada would help Iran, considered by some to be a brutal police state. As well, no one asks why a government with a known track record of sponsoring terrorist attacks might want information about a new passenger security screening procedure.

Posted by damian at April 1, 2005 06:04 PM