IRGC - Results from #20

The Canadian businessmen accused of helping Iran's regime

IRGC 27 September 2023

Ashley Burke and Nahayat TizhooshFeb. 14, 2023

The FBI says they conspired to evade U.S. sanctions on Tehran. These men call those allegations ‘baseless.’

They’re wanted by the FBI in the U.S., accused of helping to disguise hundreds of millions of dollars on Iran’s behalf to evade American sanctions.

In Canada, they’re active businessmen advertising themselves as flourishing leaders in the world of real estate.

Salim Henareh promotes himself on his personal website as the CEO of a private mortgage corporation in Toronto and a “top name in his industry.”

Khalil Henareh (the FBI believes he’s related to Salim) presents himself on social media as an award-winning real estate broker based in Thornhill, Ont.

Saeed (Sam) Torab Abtahi is listed as VP of a private lending company tied to Salim Henareh, according to the company’s website.

They are not accused of violating sanctions in Canada or of any illegal acts here. But all three men face felony charges in the U.S. and up to 20 years in prison if they’re convicted.

Their criminal defence lawyer Barry Fox says the American allegations are “baseless.”

But Garry Clement, a former RCMP superintendent who managed the national police force’s financial crime program, reviewed the U.S. indictment and said it appears to be a “classic example” of Canada acting as a “safe haven.”

“It appears they’re operating with virtual impunity right now,” said Clement. “There doesn’t seem to be a concentrated enforcement action of any kind in this country.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed that Canada will no longer act as a safe haven for people benefiting from “the corrupt and horrific regime in Iran.”

An indictment allows charges to proceed; it is not a conviction.

A grand jury in California concluded there was enough evidence in April, 2021 to indict Salim Henareh, Khalil Henareh and Saeed Torab Abtahi for conspiring with at least seven other people to evade U.S. sanctions and disguise transactions on the Iranian regime’s behalf worth more than $750 million US.

The U.S. indictment alleges the sanctions evasion scheme lasted at least from 2002 to 2018 and involved Canadian money service businesses and front companies abroad.

Among other things, the indictment alleges those companies helped to disguise the purchase of two oil tankers worth more than $51 million US on Tehran’s behalf.

Court documents tied to the case claim Iran uses front and shell companies to exploit financial systems around the world and transfer money to support terrorist groups, human rights abuses and ballistic missile development.

Clement said he hopes Canadian authorities are aware of the men’s operations in Canada and that they are looking into them.

“[The U.S. indictment] says to me, look, they’re directly linked to the Iranian regime,” Clement said. “It says to me that they’re prepared to go a great distance to support the regime. And that, in my mind … creates a lot of red flags, and should for Canada.”

Fox said the three men in Canada are not affiliated with Iran’s regime in any way.

“My clients categorically deny having any relationship, personal or corporate, with the Iranian government … the allegations contained in the complaint are without merit,” said Fox in an email.

Fox declined CBC News’ requests for interviews, saying they would have to wait until the U.S. criminal case “is resolved.”

“Since the matter is still pending (although dormant) in the American courts, my clients have no choice but to refuse any form of interview at this time,” Fox wrote.

It’s been almost two years since the indictment was issued.

Indictment and Guilty Plea Entered in Iranian Export Case

IRGC 27 September 2023

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – A U.K. man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in the District of Columbia to violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. At the same time, an indictment was unsealed charging four individuals with the same offense, as well as related offenses.

According to his plea, Saber Fakih, 46, of the United Kingdom, conspired with Bader Fakih, 41, of Canada, Altaf Faquih, 70, of the United Arab Emirates, and Alireza Taghavi, 46, of Iran, to export and attempt to export an Industrial Microwave System (IMS) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran, without first obtaining the requisite license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Fakih pleaded guilty to count two of the indictment.

“Fakih and his coconspirators attempted to evade U.S. sanctions and obtain highly sensitive pieces of equipment for Iran from unwitting U.S. suppliers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “In doing so, Fakih jeopardized not only U.S. national security, but the national security of any other nation Iran decides to target. The Department of Justice can and will act to disrupt and prosecute such criminal conduct.”

“This indictment and guilty plea demonstrate the United States’ commitment to preventing U.S. technology with military applications from falling into the hands of the Iranian government, and it demonstrates the effective results generated by the partnership between DOJ, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Commerce,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, for the District of Columbia.

“This investigation illustrates that our adversaries are willing to utilize complicated procurement networks and blatantly disregard U.S. export control laws to acquire sensitive dual use items for potential military purposes, such as counter drone technology, industrial microwave systems, and directed-energy systems that would undermine U.S. national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement, Washington Field Office. “The Office of Export Enforcement and our partner agencies will aggressively target and dismantle those illicit networks that seek technological advantages that can be used against us.”

“Mr. Fakih’s guilty plea shows the lengths he went to in order to attempt to procure U.S. technology with military uses, it also shows the lengths the FBI and our federal partners will go to in order to stop these technologies and materials from getting into the wrong hands,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Those who are working domestically and abroad to undermine American interests will be held accountable.”

“The FBI remains committed to protecting U.S. technology and ensuring it does not fall into the hands of anyone intending to use it for harm,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. “For over 40 years, Iran has continuously attempted to obtain sanctioned items that could be used against Americans or our allies. This indictment of Fakih and his coconspirators sends a clear message: The FBI, along with its federal partners, will persist in thwarting these attempts and do its part to keep our democracy safe.”

“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) remains committed to safeguarding sensitive U.S. technology and ensuring it does not fall into the hands of our adversaries,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI’s Baltimore Field Office. “This investigation highlights HSI’s global investigative capabilities, and we will continue to work with our federal partners to protect the safety and security of the United States.”

In addition, a related indictment was unsealed in the District of Columbia charging Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad, 44, with smuggling, wire fraud and related offenses arising from the same scheme. Rohollahnejad was previously added to the Department of Commerce’s, Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List in March 2020, for acting contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests by procuring goods on behalf of a Specially Designated National (SDN).

According to the indictments, in 2017 and 2018, the co-conspirators attempted to export to Iran items that had potential civil and military uses. Potential military uses of the industrial microwave system (IMS) (with some modification) include high-power microwave based directed-energy weapon systems. The counter-drone system, which has both commercial and military uses, can be used to stop, identify, redirect, land or take total control of a target unmanned aerial vehicle.

The indictments allege that Rohollahnejad and Taghavi hold themselves out as representatives of Rayan Roshd Asfzar, which has been linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

According to court documents, Taghavi informed Fakih that he could not purchase the IMS because he is an Iranian national. Saber Fakih then arranged the purchase of the IMS on Taghavi’s and Rohollahnejad’s behalf, knowing it was ultimately destined for Iran.

Rohollahnejad caused the equivalent of $450,000 to be sent from Iran to the United Arab Emirates, where Altaf Faquih picked it up and converted it from Emirati currency to U.S. dollars. Faquih then transferred the money to Bader Fakih in Canada via three separate wire transfers. Bader Fakih then transferred the money to the U.S. company for the purchase of the IMS.

In addition to the IMS, Saber Fakih and Bader Fakih conspired to purchase two counter-drone systems worth nearly $1 million on behalf of Taghavi.

Saber Fakih faces up to 20 years of incarceration and/or a fine of $1 million for violating the IEEPA. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, HSI’s Baltimore Field Office, and the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterespionage and Export Control Section.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Accused of helping Iran buy anti-drone systems, Toronto-area man says he’s ‘not a criminal’

IRGC 27 September 2023

By Stewart Bell & Jeff Semple Global News

Published March 16, 2023

On Nov. 21, 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents at the Port of Newark, N.J., seized an industrial microwave system that its export papers said was going to Dubai.

But according to U.S. investigators, the city was only a transit point for the “highly sensitive” device, which can be used to make powerful directed energy weapons.

The final destination was Tehran, they said, to a technology company that was on the U.S. sanctions list for supplying Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

For his alleged role in the scheme, a 43-year-old Toronto business consultant named Bader Altaf Fakih was indicted by the U.S. Justice Departmen

An Indian citizen who lives in Whitby, Ont., Fakih is also accused of attempting to buy two counter-drone systems worth US$1 million for the same Iranian purchasers.

The charges awaiting him in U.S. District Court include money laundering, conspiracy, aiding and abetting, and evading sanctions. His Toronto-based tech company Ipaxiom is also named as a defendant.

But while the U.S. case against Fakih was announced over a year ago, Canadian authorities have not arrested him. His only court proceedings on this side of the border concern his application for Canadian citizenship, with the help of the office of a member of Parliament.

On the same day his indictment was unsealed in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2022, Fakih filed a case against the government in the Federal Court in Toronto, arguing a “duty is owed” to him to process his citizenship application.

“I would like to place a humble/plea request to expedite the processing of my application as it has impacted and held me from attending many important events,” he wrote in an email to immigration officers on M

Canadian immigration records show that, on three occasions between 2019 and 2022, Liberal MP John McKay’s office made inquiries on Fakih’s behalf about his bid for citizenship.

Asked why his office had helped Fakih, McKay said in a statement that “constituents are entitled to reach out to their MP’s offices for assistance related to services or programs offered by the federal government.”

McKay, who chairs the standing committee on national defence, declined to respond to questions specifically about Fakih.

Were he to obtain Canadian citizenship, Fakih could not be deported — although he could still be extradited to stand trial in the United States.

Canadian authorities would not say whether the U.S. had requested Fakih’s extradition.

He told immigration officials in an email that while his brother was “involved in a legal matter” in the U.S., he had “not been provided with any court documents indicating that I am personally being charged or involved in any criminal acts relating to the case.”

Saber Fakih, an Ipaxiom official based in the United Kingdom, has already pleaded guilty to violating U.S. sanctions against Iran, and the indictment against Bader Fakih was filed in court in Ottawa in January as part of his citizenship case.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Patty Hartman, said Fakih was still wanted for allegedly evading sanctions put in place to contain Iran and its Revolutionary Guard.

In a phone call, Fakih said he had been advised not to comment. However, he said he opposed the Iranian regime, and new information would be forthcoming about the case, although he would not elaborate.

“I’m not a criminal,” he said.

Canada sanctions more Iran officials to mark one year since Mahsa Amini's death

IRGC 16 September 2023

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.

Canadian sanctions against Iranian company don't cover board member with business interest in B.C.

IRGC 07 September 2023

Safiran Airport Services was sanctioned in November for co-ordinating drone transfers to Russia

Scott Anderson, Ivan Angelovski, Kamran Malekpour, Lynette Fortune, Nahayat Tizhoosh · CBC News · Posted: Jan 27, 2023 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: January 27

An Iranian businessman who owns shares and sits on the board of a private Tehran-based company that has been sanctioned by Canada for co-ordinating the transport of weapons to Russia has a registered company in British Columbia, The Fifth Estate has learned.

In the latest corporate records filed in Iran's official journal, Mohammad Bagher Nahvi is listed as deputy chair of Safiran Airport Services.

The cargo and commercial airline is one of five entities sanctioned by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) last November for what the federal government says is their role in the Iranian regime's "gross and systematic human rights violations and actions that continue to threaten international peace and security."

GAC alleges that Safiran "co-ordinated Russian military flights between Iran and Russia, through which the Iranian regime transferred lethal Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia."

The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Safiran Airport Services in September 2022 for coordinating "Russian military flights between Iran and Russia, including those associated with transporting Iranian UAVs, personnel, and related equipment from Iran to Russia."

How Iranian Canadians are trying to stop regime affiliates fleeing to comfort in Canada

VIDEO
‘They’re terrorists’: Fighting to keep the Iran regime out of Canada

Nahvi is also listed on the boards of other Iranian companies that appear to be part of the same Safiran group, including Safiran Freight and Cargo Services, which continues to advertise shipping services to Canada online. According to Iranian corporate governance rules, only shareholders of private companies can be members of the board, although they are not required to disclose the number of shares they own.

The Canadian sanctions on Safiran Airport Services do not extend beyond the corporate entity to company officers and directors or their families.

Critics say listing only the company limits the effectiveness of the sanctions.

"From a financial warfare point of view, it makes sense that when you go after an entity, you go after the executives, you go after the board and you go after the family of members of the executive and the board," said Saeed Ghasseminejad, an Iran sanctions expert at the Washington, D.C.-based think-tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"If you don't go after the high-level executives and members of the board, it's very easy that they can go and create a front company and engage in their operation. So [sanctioning the corporate entity] creates a problem, but it's not that difficult to go and replace that operation under another name."

In Canada, Nahvi is listed as one of three directors of Solabest Development Inc., an active company registered in British Columbia. In corporate registry documents, Nahvi lists a condo unit in Vancouver as his address.

Solabest Development Inc. was incorporated in B.C. in November 2021 and filed its latest annual return in November 2022, according to the corporate records.

On Nov. 1, 2022, an individual named Ensieh Nahvi was newly listed as one of the three directors of Solabest Development Inc.

The Fifth Estate has viewed a copy of Ensieh Nahvi's Iranian identity booklet that includes the first name of her father Mohammad Bagher and his national ID number, which matches the national ID number for Mohammad Bagher Nahvi on Safiran's corporate documents.

According to B.C. property records, Ensieh Nahvi is on the title of a five-bedroom house in North Vancouver purchased on Nov. 8, 2022, for nearly $4.9 million. The records show Nahvi paid cash for the property.

The Vancouver real estate agent who had the listing for the house told The Fifth Estate that Mohammad Nahvi personally came to view it before the purchase.

'My own asset'

In a telephone interview, Ensieh Nahvi denied she was his daughter, saying only that she was a relative. She said that she comes from a wealthy family in Iran, that she owned real estate there and purchased the North Vancouver house with her own money.

[The house] is mine with my own asset," Ensieh told The Fifth Estate in Persian. "I had a house which I sold. I submitted all the documents to the bank."

She said her family was not connected to the government of the Islamic Republic and directed questions about Safiran to Mohammad Nahvi.

Mohammad Nahvi did not respond to multiple emails, calls and messages requesting an interview for this story.

Government says it is 'judicious' in sanctions

In an email to The Fifth Estate, GAC said that the federal government is "judicious in its approach to imposing sanctions, both against individuals/entities and against states" and that the sanctions prohibit Canadians inside and outside Canada from having any transactions with Safiran.

"If we actually want our sanctions regime to be effective, we need to go beyond symbolism and we need to think about how to use sanctions in a way that forces Iranian officials and those affiliated with the regime to change their behaviour," said Kaveh Shahrooz, an Iranian-Canadian Lawyer and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

"Merely sanctioning a company will likely not achieve that. What you need to do is put pressure on the people who run the company in order to get them to change their behaviour."

In reaction to the Iranian regime's crackdown against human rights protesters last fall, the Canadian government introduced a number of sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities. The measures announced on Oct. 7 also earmarked $76 million to "strengthen Canada's capacity to implement sanctions and ensure we can move more quickly to freeze and seize sanctioned individuals' assets."

At the time, GAC said it was setting up a dedicated sanctions bureau in the department and providing additional support to the RCMP to investigate and identify assets and gather evidence.

Brandon Silver, an international human rights lawyer with the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in Montreal, told The Fifth Estate that Canada's current legislation is broad enough to allow the government to take meaningful action against company officials and their family members. It comes down to the government's will to extend the sanctions to individuals.

"If there's Canadian complicity by allowing our markets, our banking institutions, our economy to be leveraged by these corporations and those individuals that really allow these corporations to thrive, we have to put an end to that," Silver said.

Similar sanctions in U.S.

Like Canada, the U.S. did not extend the sanctions to Safiran officers and directors or their families.

Iran sanctions expert Ghasseminejad believes lawyers at the U.S. Department of the Treasury are making the call on how far to extend sanctions in each case.

"The legal question is let's say you want to go after the board – can you prove that the board is responsible for that action or not in court?" he told The Fifth Estate.

"Board members in general, they may not be aware of everything – everyday activities. But in many countries I think that they are responsible for major decisions made by the company."

The U.S. Treasury did not respond to questions from The Fifth Estate.

Over the last several months, the U.S. government has continued to sanction Iranian entities and individuals for the production and shipment of deadly drones to Russia.

On Jan. 6, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned six executives and board members of Iran's Qods Aviation Industries for the production of drones used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Recently, U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sulivan, said that Iranian drones may be "contributing to widespread war crimes" in Ukraine.

"The way that they are actually carrying them out physically makes physical interdiction a challenge," Sullivan said at a media conference in Mexico City on Jan. 9, referring to the shipment of drones from Iran to Russia.

"But we will not stop at a variety of means of seeking to disrupt this type of ongoing military co-operation and to continue to increase the cost to Iran — in the court of public opinion, with respect to economic pressure — for deciding to go down a road where their weapons are being used to kill civilians in Ukraine and to try to plunge cities into cold and darkness."

Federal government banning former Iranian minister from gaining temporary residency

IRGC 31 August 2023

Social media posts circulated earlier this month allegedly showed Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi in Montreal.

Darren Major · CBC News · Posted: Aug 29, 2023 3:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 29

The federal government will deny former Iranian health minister Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi temporary residency following reports that he was spotted in Montreal earlier this summer.

"Based on an assessment of the relevant facts recently brought to my attention, I have exercised my authority under s. 22.1 of the IRPA to prevent Mr. Seyed Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi from becoming a temporary resident of Canada for the maximum period of 36 months," Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Monday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), which Miller cited in his statement, allows the immigration minister to deny anyone temporary residency if the minister is "of the opinion that it is justified by public policy considerations."

Miller said his decision was a response to Iran's human rights record.

"The actions of the Iranian regime are reprehensible, and those who bear responsibility have no place in Canadian society," he wrote in his statement.

A number of posts on X began circulating in early August allegedly showing a photo of Hashemi walking in Montreal.

Iran International, a U.S.-based news outlet focused on the Iranian diaspora, first reported on the photo, claiming it was a screengrab from a promotional video for Quebec's tourism industry. CBC News has not confirmed independently that Hashemi was in Montreal.

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, citing protections under the Privacy Act, said the government can't confirm that Hashemi was in Canada in recent weeks.

Hashemi served as Iran's minister of health from 2013 to 2019 under then-president Hassan Rouhani. He was widely seen as the key official behind the 2014 launch of a plan for universal medical insurance.

Canada announced last year that it would be preventing top members of the Iranian regime — including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — from entering Canada.

That measure, which came into force in November, also fell under the IRPA but only applied to senior officials who were part of the regime from November 2019 onward — meaning Hashemi wasn't covered by it.

Kourosh Doustshenas, a spokesperson for the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, called the move to deny Hashemi temporary residency a "positive" one. But he said he thinks the 2019 cutoff for the IRPA measure brought in last fall is "arbitrary" because Iran's human rights record isn't limited to the past four years.

"They [the regime] have been doing it all the time they've been in power. So why would they chose this particular date? It's kind of puzzling," he said, adding that expanding the time period covered by the measure would prevent former regime representatives like Hashemi from entering Canada.

Doustshenas said it's "disheartening" that someone like Hashemi could have entered Canada easily while Iranian refugees often struggle to get in.

Government 'stands by' its policies

Iranian-Canadian lawyer and human rights activist Kaveh Shahrooz said denying Hashemi temporary residency is a "step in the right direction" — but he argued that his presence in Canada proves federal screening processes should be updated.

"If a former minister whose name can be found in the simplest Google search can slip through the cracks, then I think the cracks are simply too wide," he told CBC News.

"We need to better train our officers, make sure that better due diligence is being done and that the doors are being closed to [Iranian] government officials."

The IRCC spokesperson said the government "stands by" the measures it has invoked under IRPA.

"Canada has designated the regime as having engaged in terrorism and systematic and gross human rights violations, applied sanctions, and in this case have used negative discretion under the Act," the statement said.

CDI condemning the admission of a former Iranian Regime Minister in Canada

IRGC 15 August 2023

August 15, 2023

In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the Minister of Public Safety in Canada, Canadians for Democracy in Iran (CDI) has condemned the presence of a former minister from the Iranian regime on Canadian soil. CDI, an organization dedicated to promoting democracy and human rights in Iran, expressed its deep concern over the individual's presence and called on the Canadian government to ensure accountability.

The former Iranian regime minister, Ghazi Zadeh Hashemi, is believed to have been associated with human rights abuses and repressive policies during their tenure. The CDI's letter emphasized the importance of upholding democratic values and human rights principles, both within Canada and on the international stage.

The CDI's statement underscored the need for transparency and thorough vetting of individuals seeking refuge in Canada, particularly if they have ties to regimes with questionable human rights records. The organization called on the Canadian government to investigate the circumstances of the former minister's presence and take appropriate action in accordance with international norms and values.

Canadians for Democracy in Iran expects the Canadian government to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and democracy by addressing this matter with utmost seriousness. The organization stressed that accountability is essential not only for maintaining Canada's reputation as a safe haven for those fleeing oppression but also for sending a clear message that individuals involved in human rights abuses are not welcome on Canadian soil.

As public attention turns towards this issue, civil society groups, human rights organizations, and concerned citizens are likely to closely monitor developments. The CDI's letter adds to the growing pressure on the Canadian government to address the situation swiftly and transparently.

In the face of these developments, the international community will be watching to see how Canada responds to the CDI's call for accountability and whether the government takes steps to address concerns about the presence of individuals with ties to the repressive regime of Iran within its borders.

Uproar Follows Video Of Ex-Iranian Minister In Canada

IRGC 15 August 2023

Iran International

A former Iranian minister has been spotted in Montreal, leading to uproar about Canada’s loose immigration controls in allowing entry to regime’s officials.

The footage circulating on social media captured Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the former Health Minister in President Hassan Rouhani's administration, strolling through the streets of Montreal, accompanied by his family. The video is part of promotional materials for Quebec's tourism industry.

“Canada has designated the Islamic Republic of Iran as a regime that has engaged in terrorism and systematic and gross human rights violations,” Marco Mendicino, former Minister of Public Safety announced in November 2022.

After years of calls by human rights activists and Iranians dissidents, Canada finally announced sanctions last November against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), permanently banning over 10,000 of its officers and other senior officials from entering Canada.

“We’re using the most powerful tools at our disposal to crack down on Iran's brutal regime. We'll be pursuing a listing of IRGC leadership under our Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, making over 10,000 senior IRGC members inadmissible to Canada,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time.

According to Marco Mendicino, a member of parliament who was the Minister of Public Safety at the time, the entry ban into Canada was not limited to just members of the Revolutionary Guards, but also included heads of state, members of the Cabinet, ambassadors, senior diplomats, members of the judiciary, senior military and intelligence officials and senior public servants.

No Canadian official has yet commented about Ghazizadeh’s presence but the ban on regime officials “applies to those who were senior officials at any time from November 15, 2019, onwards.” Ghazizadeh was elected as the health minister in 2012 and resigned from this position in January 2017.

Nevertheless, based on the spirit of the legislation and the designation of the regime as a sponsor of terror, Ghazizadeh’s admission raises questions.

“We’re using the most powerful tools at our disposal to crack down on Iran's brutal regime. We'll be pursuing a listing of IRGC leadership under our Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, making over 10,000 senior IRGC members inadmissible to Canada,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time.

According to Marco Mendicino, a member of parliament who was the Minister of Public Safety at the time, the entry ban into Canada was not limited to just members of the Revolutionary Guards, but also included heads of state, members of the Cabinet, ambassadors, senior diplomats, members of the judiciary, senior military and intelligence officials and senior public servants.

No Canadian official has yet commented about Ghazizadeh’s presence but the ban on regime officials “applies to those who were senior officials at any time from November 15, 2019, onwards.” Ghazizadeh was elected as the health minister in 2012 and resigned from this position in January 2017.

Nevertheless, based on the spirit of the legislation and the designation of the regime as a sponsor of terror, Ghazizadeh’s admission raises questions.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202308095974

A Letter to Prime Minister Trudeau by CDI

IRGC 21 May 2023

May 20, 2023

Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau, PC, MP

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A2

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Fax: (613) 941-6900

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau,

We the members of Canadians for Democracy in Iran (CDI), an Ontario registered nonprofit organization, write to you today with grave concerns regarding the recent executions in Iran.

On Friday, May 19, 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the execution of three more young men—Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaqoubi— in Isfahan has continued intensifying use of the death penalty to silence dissent in Iran. Friday's executions brought to 14 the number of protesters hanged since the beginning of the nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini last September as part of a brutal and violent crackdown of the protests that have turned into one of the boldest challenges to the clerical rulers since the 1979 revolution.

The Islamic Republic’s death machine is in high gear. Only within the last eight months, well over 500 people have been killed, including 70 children, and nearly 20,000 people have been arrested, jailed and tortured in the hands of the monstrous judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to Amnesty International, scores of others face the death penalty in connection with protests.

The arbitrary arrests and executions that date to the first day of this regime’s assuming power are tantamount to deprivation of life under international law, revealing how the Iranian authorities have continued to wield the death penalty as a weapon of repression. The Islamic regime’s contempt for humanity is limitless, and its monstrosity is unfortunately emboldened by the West’s inaction.

Mr. Prime Minister, Iranians, despite such oppression, are continuing their brave struggle for basic human rights and democracy, but they need help. It is therefore of paramount importance that the international community not only stand united with the people of Iran but also take urgent action to hold the Iranian authorities to account.

It remains to add that Canada is uniquely positioned to lead this effort. Not only has Canada steadfastly been most outspoken in condemning human rights violations in Iran, it has also, unlike the majority of other Western countries, severed its diplomatic relation with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Accordingly, Mr. Prime Minister, we urge that your government take the leadership role to demand an immediate halt of all executions and also to step up to investigate the Regime’s officials who have been involved in crimes under international law. Only firm and concrete action by the international community can halt Tehran’s regime from continuing to trample on the basic rights of individuals. The political cost of Iran’s executions must increase.

Sincerely yours

Farrokh Zandi, PhD

Chairman, CDI Board of Directors

CC: Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Honourable Pierre Poilievre, Leader of Opposition, MP, pierre.poilievre@parl.gc.ca

Heather McPherson, MP, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ali Ehsassi, MP, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Canadians for Democracy in Iran Second Event

IRGC 17 May 2023

Join us for our second event focused on May 26 at 6:30 pm EST.