Press communique concerning the agression of Masoud Raouf at the Iran embassy in Ottawa

IRANIAN-CANADIAN FILMMAKER BRUTALLY BEATEN UP BY IRANIAN OFFICIALS IN IRANIAN EMBASSY IN OTTAWA

MONTREAL, June 19th, 2005

On Friday, June 17th, 2005, Masoud Raouf, an award-winng Iranian-Canadian filmmaker from Montreal, who was planning to film Iranian election-day activities at the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa, was beaten up by Iranian officials for filming without permission.

Before entering the Embassy, the filmmaker had informed RCMP officers of his intention to film inside. The RCMP were just outside the Embassy doors to monitor a demonstration in support of a boycott of the Iranian presidential elections taking place that day. The demonstrators were standing on the opposite side of the street from the RCMP and Embassy.

Upon entering the Embassy, Mr. Raouf immediately went to the polling tables to ask to whom he should address his request for permission to film. He also began to set up the camera and set the light balance.

He was approached by a group of three Embassy officials, who accused him of filming inside the Embassy; they demanded that he turn the camera over to them. The filmmaker denied filming the polling stations, and asked that the Embassy officials call the RCMP to witness a demonstration of the videotape that was in the camera. The officials agreed to call the RCMP, but did not carry out their promise to do so. Meanwhile, the pollsters and the few voters that were present in the room carried on with their activities.

The atmosphere became more and more tense, and the three Embassy officials closed in on Mr. Raouf, who continued to request that the RCMP be present. At one point, one of the officials grabbed the camera and pushed "Play"; he noted that there was footage of the demonstration outside, which had been taken from inside through the window of the Embassy. There were, however, no scenes of the polling tables.

Mr. Raouf continued to demand that the RCMP be present and asked the officials to return his camera. They refused, and started to leave with the camera. He then slammed his hand against the Embassy window, trying to get the attention of the RCMP to come to help him.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a fist hit him violently in the nose; another fist hit him on the right side of his head breaking a tooth; his shirt and jacket were torn as the officials began roughing him up, throwing him against the wall; and feet began kicking him on both of his legs and on his genitalia. Mr. Raouf grabbed the first thing he could reach, a paper-towel holder, and smashed it against the window to get the attention of anyone at all at that point.

The glass shattered, making a huge noise. The filmmaker ran for the door, and met the RCMP as they were coming in. The three Embassy officials scattered, and demonstrators from outside rushed towards the Embassy and occupied the space in front. They started screaming, fearing for Mr. Raouf's life.

After forty-five minutes, bleeding profusely from the cuts on his face, Mr. Raouf was finally able to leave the Embassy, having gotten his camera back, but without the film. He spoke briefly to the crowd and the media present about his ordeal, and was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.

In response to his experience, Mr. Raouf states, "If brutal acts like these can occur to a Canadian citizen in an Iranian Embassy in Canada, imagine what could happen to someone in a similar situation in Iran, especially to someone held in an Iranian prison. Zahra Kazemi's case comes immediately to mind." He adds, "Since the Islamic regime came into power in Iran, the Iranian government believes it can commit any kind of atrocity, either within Iran or outside the country, in complete impunity. For example, neither of the two candidates, Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjan, who have been selected for the second round of elections next week, can leave Iran because of their involvement in assassinations of opposition leaders and political dissidents in European countries."

For more information, contact Masoud Raouf at 514-824-2341 or maso...@hotmail.com