TEHRAN, July 20 (AFP) - Iran was unrepentant Tuesday following international criticism over its handling of the trial of an agent accused of the killing in custody of Canadian-Iranian photographer Zahra Kazemi.
Reiterating the Islamic republic's refusal to recognise dual nationality, foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefo said foreign governments "should stay away from the case".
Kazemi, a 54-year-old freelance photographer with dual nationality, died last July from a brain hemorrhage, the result of a blow to her skull inflicted while she was being interrogated.
The alleged killer, 42-year-old intelligence agent Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, has claimed he is a scapegoat and a victim of Iran's complex internal rivalries.
Iran's judiciary, accused of covering from one of its own officials, on Sunday barred foreign diplomats and press from the hearings and then called an abrupt end to the trial, prompting Canada to recall its ambassador.
The European Union, whose diplomats were also barred from the trial, on Monday said it "deplored" Iran's handling of the case.
"This situation can only strengthen our concern that justice may not be done in this case and that no light will be shed on the exact circumstances of the gruesome death in custody of Mrs Kazemi," said a statement from the Dutch EU presidency.
Asefi said the EU had no right to complain.
"The EU presidency has overlooked that Kazemi was an Iranian national, and has reached assumptions which are basically incorrect and without legal basis," he said.
"No foreign country has the right to tarnish the legitimate rights of other countries in the handling of their domestic affairs," Asefi complained.