The news about the torture and rape of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi by Iranian secret police isn’t exactly news. The Liberals have known the details of her injuries since November. Bob Tarantino at Let It Bleed;
Tortured. Raped. Murdered. A Canadian citizen. And what has the government done? Not much. In an original fit of pique, they recalled the Canadian ambassador. Then they sent the ambassador back. Then they recalled the ambassador again. Then they sent the ambassador back. It should be noted that the second time they sent the ambassador back, was after the Canadian government had received incontrovertible evidence that Kazemi had been tortured, raped and murdered.
So, after sitting on that evidence since November, and it having now come to public light, what are they going to do? Nothing.
Well, not nothing. They’ll continue to tiptoe around these embarrassing little glitches as former Librano prime ministers flit about the planet, cementing oil contracts with other repressive regimes.
Update, thanks to a reader – via LGF;
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.”
Reply: “Business as usual”.
“The possible collapse of the Liberal minority government is once again a hot topic on Parliament Hill, fuelled by reports of explosive new testimony at the sponsorship inquiry.
Although exact details of the testimony cannot be revealed due to a publication ban, there are reports its disclosure would prove so devastating that Paul Martin’s Liberal minority could fall if it became public.”
Sorry to go O/T right off the bat, but does anyone know the scoop on this?
Ref the Iranian official being briefed on the Canadian Advance Passenger Database, is the Canadian government OUT OF IT’S MIND? Now what possible reason could the Iranians have for wanting that info? I can only think of one. What a bunch of complete jerks.
If our system is similar to yours, I think we need to change it real quick. I can see the US govt putting in a big order for rubber stamps that say “Not Releasable to Canada”.
“Soft power”.
What do you expect from a country which, 138 years into its existence, still doesn’t have the balls (excuse me, testicular fortitude, to have its own head of state).
Flaccid, flaccid,flaccid. Not very satisfying- (Lloyd).
What a quandary.
Canada is supposed to take some high and mighty moral position, while America moves in and makes deals with the devil.