Updated in: 01 February 2011 - 01:39
The Canadian Press
MONTREAL—The family of a slain Canadian photojournalist has received mixed news in its attempt to sue the Iranian government over her death.
A Quebec court has ruled that the estate of slain photojournalist Zahra Kazemi can’t sue Iran.
But it says her son can.
A Quebec judge says the Montreal woman’s son, Stephan Hashemi, does have the right to proceed with a lawsuit under an exception in Canada’s State Immunity Act.
The decision comes after a court battle where the Iranian government attempted to block the Kazemi family from suing for $17 million — arguing that it was immune from legal action in Canada.
Iran argued that under the State Immunity Act, foreign governments can’t be sued on Canadian soil, with few exceptions.
The verdict from Quebec Superior Court Justice Robert Mongeon was met with a lukewarm reaction from Hashemi’s lawyers — and appeals might be forthcoming.
Kazemi was an Iranian-Canadian citizen who was beaten, raped and killed in 2003 after being arrested for photographing relatives of detainees outside Evin prison in Tehran.
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