Tehran — An Iranian Intelligence Ministry agent pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of killing a Canadian-Iranian photojournalist who died after suffering head injuries while in custody.
In the opening session of the trial, Mohammed Reza Aghdam Ahmadi denied killing Zahra Kazemi during interrogation after her June 23 detention.
She died in a hospital on July 10.
"I strongly reject the charges raised against me," Mr. Ahmadi said, requesting more time to study the indictment.
Judge Rasoul Ghanimi agreed to the request, and it was unclear when the trial would resume.
Ms. Kazemi, 54, who held both Canadian and Iranian citizenships, was detained while taking photos outside the Evin prison north of Tehran during student-led protests.
After 77 hours of questioning, she was taken to a hospital's intensive care unit with severe head injuries.
Tehran Deputy Prosecutor General Jafar Reshadati said Tuesday that Mr. Ahmadi was the only interrogator who spent hours alone with Ms. Kazemi at prison and the only agent who refused to answer some questions and gave contradictory statements.
Mr. Reshadati said the killing was "semi-premeditated."
Initially, prosecutors maintained that Ms. Kazemi had died of a stroke, but a presidential-appointed committee found she had died of head injuries sustained while in custody.
Mr. Ahmadi was one of two Intelligence Ministry agents initially charged in the death, but the persecutor's office dropped the charges against the other agent last month.
