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.

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. 

May 20, 2023

Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau, PC, MP

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A2

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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.

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

The Swedish Parliament voted in favour of designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization today [May 10].

May 3, 2023

His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel

C/O Embassy of Israel in Ottawa

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Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu:

Canadians for democracy in Iran, CDI, strongly condemns the letter signed by 32 Israeli Knesset deputies to provide international support to the “south” Azerbaijani “independence” movement, a region in northern Iran. We consider signing this letter as a serious violation of Iranian territorial-integrity which cannot be tolerated by the Iranian people.

As Iranians living in diaspora and exile, we are outraged by this misguided statement, and we will never recognize a separatist initiative against our homeland’s territorial integrity under the false narrative that “an international support to corroborate any separatist movement within Iran will deal a serious blow to the regime of Tehran.”

While we are aware that the above letter has been partially withdrawn with the intervention of Ms. Gila Gamliel, the Intelligence Minister of Israel, we still need to address the issue and call it out to intercept potential future mishaps or misunderstandings in this regard.

CDI believes that what the undersigned Knesset members have formulated in their letter as supporting “the national aspirations of the peoples of south Azerbaijan [...] [and] if a sovereign state south Azerbaijan is created, Israel will get another ally in the region along with the Azerbaijan republic” is problematic in several lights:

1. There is no “south” Azerbaijan in Iran. Considering “southern” Azerbaijan is falsely or intentionally implying a territorial independence from Iran, subsuming an attachment with the Azerbaijan republic and its jurisprudence that is technically outside the borderlines of Iran.
2. Iran is made up of several ethnicities (including Azeris), distinct by their cultural and linguistic heritage, who have been an integral part of Iran (Persia) for thousands of years. Such cultural uniqueness, however, has never translated into separatist sentiments in the mind and mouth of Iran’s people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Nor can it be envisaged to be the mentality behind our resistance against the murderous regime in Tehran. While we appreciate the way systematic discrimination against our fellow Azeri or other ethnicities in Iran is being called out internationally, no gesture, request, movement, or initiative that may push the narrative of separation and independence under the guise of international support is either appreciated or allowed.
3. We understand how Israel can be an incontrovertible asset for the Iranian opposition to advance their anti-Islamic Regime initiatives. However, carving out a potential ally for Israel through separating a province of Iran and assuming its attachment to the Azerbaijan republic would erect the Iranian opposition against such pro-independence instigators. This would wound the ties between the opposition to the Islamic regime and the Israeli Knesset.

Mr. Prime Minister, CDI wholeheartedly supports any process that restores a partnership between the two countries of Iran and Israel and rekindles the historical friendship that has existed between our two peoples.

Respectfully,

Farrokh Zandi

Chair, CDI Board of Directors

CC: His Excellency Eli Cohen, Minister of Foreign Affairs, State of Israel

Join us on April 28, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST for our event. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has announced the federal government is adding 12 senior Iranian regime officials to its sanctions list — individuals Ottawa says participated in "gross and systematic human rights violations in Iran."

"The Iranian regime continues to brutally oppress its people and to deny them their fundamental rights and freedoms," Joly said in a media statement.

"We hear the pleas of the Iranian people and we commend them for their bravery and resilience. Canada will not stop advocating for Iranians and their human rights."

In reaction to the Iranian regime's crackdown on human rights protesters last fall, the Canadian government introduced a number of sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities. These latest additions to the list mark the ninth round of sanctions. 

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has listed key agents of the Iranian regime, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsm (IRGC) and more than 10,000 senior IRGC officials, as inadmissible to Canada.

The 12 senior officials added to the list Monday include members of the IRGC and Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), which GAC says has been involved in the "lethal suppression of demonstrations across Kurdish areas of Western Iran."

Also on the list of 12 are: 

• Morteza Mir Aghaei, commander of Basij paramilitary forces in Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province.
• Esmaeil Zarei Kousha, governor of Kurdistan Province.
• Seyeh Sadegh Hosseini, IRGC general and commander of the IRGC's Beit al-Moqqadas Corps in Kurdistan Province.
• Rahim Jahanbakhsh, LEF second brigadier general and commander of the LEF in West Azerbaijan Province.

The federal government said that adding these individuals to the sanctions list today bans them from entering Canada and prohibits any dealings with them. It also means any assets they may hold in Canada have been frozen.

A bloody crackdown

The recent unrest in Iran was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by Iran's morality police in September for not wearing her headscarf properly.

The protests that ensued after her death in police custody represent one of the biggest challenges to the Islamic Republic since its establishment in 1979.

The Basij force, affiliated with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, has been behind much of the crackdown against protesters.