AFP: Canada's foreign minister said Monday he has called in Iran's envoy to explain the brief detention of a Canadian journalist covering protests in Tehran after hotly contested elections.
OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada's foreign minister said Monday he has called in Iran's envoy to explain the brief detention of a Canadian journalist covering protests in Tehran after hotly contested elections.
Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon told the House of Commons he was "extremely troubled by the current situation in Iran and we've called for a full and transparent investigation into electoral fraud and discrepancies.
"The security forces' brutal treatment of peaceful protesters is unacceptable," he said.
"I've directed my officials to call in Iran's top diplomat here in Ottawa so we can have an explanation" for the detention of a Globe and Mail reporter covering anti-government protests in Tehran on Sunday.
Earlier, the Toronto-based newspaper said that Iranian riot police had arrested one of its freelancers.
"An officer grabbed me, pinned my arm behind my back and led me into the bowels of the Interior Ministry headquarters — where so many Iranian dissidents disappear," wrote freelancer George McLeod in an article.
He said he was allowed to leave a few hours later, with "bleeding welts" on his neck and "a swollen arm." Officials explained to him that there had been a "terrible misunderstanding," he wrote.
"There is a bad situation in Tehran, and sometimes the officers get confused," McLeod quoted an apologetic officer at the ministry as saying.
