Canadian accuses Iran of coverup in mother's death

A Quebec man rejected Iran's offer of sympathy Sunday and demanded immediate details about how his mother died in police custody in Tehran.

Stephan Hachemi told a news conference that he's not satisfied with Iran's pledge to have four cabinet ministers conduct an inquiry.

He believes officials are trying to cover up a brutal beating last month that left Zahra Kazemi in a coma. Her death was announced Saturday.

"Don't send me your condolences when your government killed my mother, tortured her and still doesn't respond to my demands," Hachemi said.

Kazemi, 54, was arrested while taking pictures outside a prison in Tehran, according to family and friends. The freelance photographer was reportedly treated as a spy and allegedly beaten unconscious by interrogators.

On Saturday, Ottawa ordered its ambassador in Tehran to investigate. On Sunday, Iran's official news agency reported that Kazemi had "suffered a stroke when she was subject to interrogation and died in hospital."

• RELATED: Iran to investigate Kazemi's death

"There's a lot of playing around," Hachemi told reporters. "Most of the members of the Iranian government are (treating the case) as a joke. They really don't co-operate."

Hachemi wants his mother's body brought back to Canada so an autopsy can confirm the cause of her death.

But there were conflicting reports Sunday about whether she had already been buried in Iran.

Kazemi's mother, an Iranian living in her homeland, asked for the interment for religious reasons, according to Tehran. Hachemi, however, said his grandmother would not have made such a request unless pressured by government officials.