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US protests Iran presence at UN rights council

Saturday, June 24, 2006 - ©2005 IranMania.com

 
The US State Department protested the presence of an Iranian prosecutor suspected in the death of a Canadian journalist at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, AFP reported.

LONDON, June 24 (IranMania) - The US State Department protested the presence of an Iranian prosecutor suspected in the death of a Canadian journalist at a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, AFP reported.

"We join the government of Canada in deploring the presence of Tehran general prosecutor Said Mortazavi at the inaugural meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.

"It's inappropriate that an official of this kind, someone who two official Iranian government investigations have found responsible for the illegal arrest and detention of a Canadian journalist, would be participating at this event."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier Friday called for the global community to use "all manner of law available" to bring to justice the man Canada believes was involved in the death of Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi.

Kazemi, 54, died in July 2003 after spending two weeks in custody in Tehran after being arrested for photographing a demonstration outside a prison in the Iranian capital.

The United Nations council began its inaugural two-week session on Monday, and UN officials confirmed that Mortazavi was indeed a delegation member.

Iran last month failed to win election to the new 47-nation body, but is among the countries which sent a delegation of observers.

The State Department said it still wanted the UN council to succeed in its work despite the Iranian's presence.

"We're going to work hard to make it as effective as we can," Casey said of the new council.

US protests Iran presence at UN rights council (http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=43879&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs)