Canada will impose sanctions on Iran for human rights abuses for the ninth time in five months.
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The sanctions announced on Monday by Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly target 12 senior officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Forces de l’Ordre (FO) who are alleged to have murdered protesters in the Kurdish areas in the west of the country.
“The Iranian regime continues to brutally oppress its people and deprive them of their basic rights and freedoms. We hear the cries of the Iranian people and commend them for their courage and resilience. Canada will not stop defending Iranians and their fundamental rights,” the minister said in a statement.
What the new measures include:
– Ban on transactions with those on the list, freezing any assets they may own in Canada
– Inadmissibility in Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the persons concerned
Among the 12 targets are:
– Morteza Mir Aghaei, commander of the paramilitary forces of the Basij militia 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, Brigadier General 2nd Class of TF and Commander of TF in West Azerbaijan province.
Canada announced on October 7 its intention to impose several sanctions in response to human rights abuses committed to halt demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini last September.
To date, Canada has imposed sanctions on 139 individuals and 189 Iranian entities, including the IRGC and the regime’s economic, security and intelligence apparatus.
Sanctions already imposed on Iran:
– Adding the Iranian regime, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its top leaders, to Canada’s prohibited list
– Adoption of new sanctions against members of the IRGC and the Iranian regime and their allies, in addition to the introduction of new regulations adjusted to ensure that no person associated with the IRGC submitting to sanctions pending the adoption of the law can enter Canada S-8
-Invested $76 million to strengthen Canada’s sanctions enforcement capacity and ensure the government can act faster to freeze and seize assets from sanctioned individuals
– Use all tools at the Canadian government’s disposal, including the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, which authorizes restrictive financial and real estate action against foreign nationals responsible for serious human rights abuses