TEHRAN, July 18 (UPI) -- An Iranian court has abruptly ended the trial of an intelligence agent accused of killing a Canadian journalist, the BBC reported Sunday.
Zahra Kazemi died of a brain haemorrhage in 2003 after she was held for taking pictures outside a prison. Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, accused of killing her, has pleaded not guilty.
Lawyers for slain Iranian-born Kazemi said the trial was a farce and refused to sign the court record. Kazemi's legal team - led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi - has accused the authorities of a cover-up, saying a more senior official is the real culprit.
"They didn't even pay attention to our evidence and announced the end of the trial," Ebadi told reporters outside the Tehran court. "This is not a fair trial. The case hasn't been reviewed. If they issue a verdict it will be unfair."
Refusing to sign documents that legitimize the court, she then called for the case to be moved to a higher provincial tribunal.
