Remembering Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi through her photographs

Friday marks the 11th anniversary of Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi’s suspicious death while under Iranian custody.

Her son Stephan Kazemi is commemorating the anniversary with an exhibit of his mother’s work. 

"Photography was her passion," said Kazemi. "I wanted people to see what she was doing and how she used pictures to tell stories." 

This will be the first time Kazemi’s photography will be on exhibit in Toronto. The show features 11 photographs taken across the globe during her travels.

"These photos are the works of a woman who staked her whole life on telling others’ stories and it’s time that someone tells hers," said Samira Mohyeddin, the co-curator of the exhibition.  

Zahra Kazemi was arrested in 2003 while taking pictures of grieving mothers outside of Iran’s Evin Prison.

For over a decade Stephan ​Kazemi has devoted his life to raising awareness about his mother’s story.

In 2006, he filed a civil lawsuit seeking damages for her death. The Iranian government argued it is immune from prosecution in Canadian courts, but the case went to the Supreme Court of Canada on Dec. 4, 2013. Kazemi is still waiting for the final decision.

"It’s been 11 years of justice denied," he said. "When her story first hit the headlines there was outrage … Now the headlines are not there and people are forgetting her story."

The exhibition will be on display at Banu, a restaurant and bar at 777 Queen St. W., until the court makes its decision.