Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi was beaten to death during or after her arrest outside a Tehran prison last month, Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abtahisaid on Wednesday.
Iran's government promised to prosecute those responsiblefor the death of Montreal-based Kazemi, 54, a Canadian of Iranian descent who died on Friday of what relatives and friends always insisted were head injuries. Iranian officials had earlier said she was killed by a stroke.
"According to a report by the health minister she has died of a brain haemorrhage resulting from beatings," Abtahi told reporters. "The death of Zahra Kazemi... creates a very blackpicture (of Iran) in the world."
Iran's President Mohammad Khatami on Sunday ordered four ministers to investigate Kazemi's death. Abtahi said it was still not clear whether the beating took place during her arrestlast month outside Evin prison, where many dissidents arejailed, or during later interrogation.
"As soon as the results of the investigation by thecommittee appointed by the president are presented to thecabinet, we will definitely introduce to the court those whohave committed a probable violation... if a violation isproven," government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh toldreporters.
Kazemi's death appeared likely to mar what had beenrelatively smooth relations between Iran and Canada, which hasinsisted her body be returned to her adoptive country.
"From our point of view, because she has Iraniancitizenship, no foreign government has the right to make specialcomments on this issue," Ramazanzadeh said. "Kazemi was anIranian citizen and Iranian laws are applicable, not the laws ofanother country."
Iran's state-run Human Rights Commission said the arrest hadtaken place under the authority of Tehran Prosecutor-GeneralSaeed Mortezavi. "Naturally the same source should be answerablefor the situation," it said earlier this week.
Iran's reformers, led by President Mohammad Khatami, haveoften accused the hardline judiciary of running parallelsecurity forces and unregistered detention centres outside thesupervision of the government.
A bill introduced by Khatami and approved by parliament toallow the president to remove errant judges has been blocked bythe 12-man Guardian Council watchdog body, which said it did notcomply with Islamic Sharia law.
Some 350 reformist intellectuals urged Iran's Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday to end repression and freepolitical prisoners, saying in a letter the Islamic Republic hadto choose between democracy and despotism.
Pro-reform journalist and former deputy Culture MinisterIssa Saharkhiz, whose office distributed the letter to themedia, was arrested on unspecified charges, his office said.