Thoughts on Zahra Kazemi

I would like to talk about Zahra Kazemi, the Iranian Canadian journalist who was killed by Iranian journalists, and my feelings around that. It has angered me considerable that it happened. It angers me that the Iranian government, in the face of evidence to the contrary, could try to suggest that she died as the result of an accident. It angers me that they thought they could get away with it.

But it is when I get to that point that I have to ask myself some questions. Why am I so angry? Should I not be as angry if she were not a Canadian citizen? Get away with it or what? It is exactly at times like this when I must take a step back, and ensure that my anger is channelled constructively. What would retalization solve? What would it do to the region? What would it do to the innocent people who live there?

It is for this reason that I proclaim loudly, this is an international incident, so the best answer is the International Criminal Court. No matter what the parties or dynamics involved, the position must be maintained that aggression and violence causes more problems than it solves, that no one is above the law, and therefore international law must be appealed to.