Iran does not recognize dual citizenship. I am a Canadian and an Iranian. As soon as I set foot on Iranian soil, I am no longer a Canadian. That is why Ms. Kazemi was considered under Iranian law to be an Iranian citizen, not a Canadian. I'm very happy that you asked that question because it illustrates what I have been trying to say, namely that power is not in the hands of any one person, but rather is shared.
Ms. Kazemi's assassination was investigated by the government of then President Khatami. I also used the word “assassination“ when I was in Tehran. President Khatami set up a commission of inquiry which found that Ms. Kazemi had been killed while in prison and that someone was responsible for her death. The government in power at the time called upon the judiciary to find the guilty party.
The executive did its job and turned the report over to another authority so that it could do its job. It failed for the simple reason that the person charged with or suspected of having committed the crime was Mr. Mortazavi, a young judge who had expressed an interest in pursing his studies in Canada. Apparently, he was the person who was going to be charged, or dragged before the courts. Its seems that he had the Leader's ear or support and his arrest could ultimately have called into question the Leader's authority.
Do you understand what I'm trying to say? In Iran, there are red lines that no one can cross. This was one such red line. Any Iranian, whether or not he supports the regime, will tell you that what President Khatami did clearly proves my contention that institutions are vulnerable. The good news is that because the power structure is heterogeneous, not homogenous, it denounces its actions from within. Obviously, President Khatami was not in a position to bring Ms. Kazemi back to life. However, her death did not go unnoticed.