Canada sanctions more Iran officials to mark one year since Mahsa Amini's death
OTTAWA - Canada is sanctioning more Iranian officials to mark the anniversary of a young woman's death that sparked global protests one year ago.
Six senior regime officials are banned from entering Canada or having holdings in the country.
Saturday will mark one year since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being arrested for allegedly not properly wearing her hijab.
The new sanctions echo Canada's allies, and include members of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, an unelected body that created the so-called morality police that enforce the hijab rules.
Canada is sanctioning Abdol Hossein Khosrow Panah, who took over the group in January and ramped up surveillance of women in Iran.
This is the 14th round of sanctions Canada has imposed on Iran in the past 11 months, aimed at 31 entities and 129 people.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly noted an accelerating crackdown on Iranian women in the past year.
"Today's sanctions reflect our unwavering commitment to stand with the people of Iran, in particular women and girls, as they continue to courageously defend their human rights," Joly wrote in a news release.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2023.