Canada has added 25 senior Iranian regime officials, including the army’s chief of staff, to its list of people in connection with cracking down on protesters who resent the rigidity of Islamic laws.
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“These sanctions are being imposed in response to the gross human rights abuses committed in Iran, including the systematic persecution of women, and in particular the shocking actions of Iran’s so-called ‘morality police’, which resulted in the death of Mahsa Amini while she was in Iran in his custody,” Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement.
In addition, there are nine institutions that “directly carry out repressive measures, violate human rights and spread propaganda and disinformation by the Iranian regime”.
Most of the people targeted by this new round of sanctions belong to the country’s armed forces, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) or police agencies.
Also on the list is Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, director of the deputy police, or “morality police,” the institution that ensures compliance with Islamic laws such as the wearing of the veil.
The sanctions essentially aim to freeze assets in Canada and ban entry into Canada.
“Our message to Iran is clear: the ongoing and systematic persecution of Iranian women must end, and Iran will be held accountable for its human rights abuses and blatant disregard for human life. Canada salutes the courage and actions of the Iranian people and will support them in their struggle for their rights and dignity,” Minister Joly added.
The Trudeau government is refusing to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization, as Conservatives have been asking for for several years.