In 2022, women protested Iran’s killing of a youth for showing her hair in public, and Canada took action. Two Liberal cabinet ministers introduced a policy in 2022 to stop senior Iranian regime members from seeking refuge in Canada. So far, only one high-ranking Iranian official has been deported by the Canadian government, and the cases of others remain private. Despite some regime members facing deportation hearings, the Immigration and Refugee Board is keeping the proceedings confidential. Global News attempted to make the cases public but has not succeeded yet. The IRB decided to keep the cases confidential as the Iranian officials claimed to be refugees.
The families of Canadians killed when Iran shot down a plane in 2020 demand transparency in such cases. Iranian-Canadians fear regime members in their midst and want to know their identities and roles. They believe these officials should not be in Canada if they are not real refugee claimants. The ban on top Iranian officials entering Canada was considered a strong sanction by the country’s public safety minister in 2022.
Following the death of a woman in Iran in 2022, protests erupted against the regime’s repression of women, which was met with brutal crackdowns. As a result, Canada sanctioned the entire Iranian government for engaging in terrorism and human rights violations. This led to prohibiting senior regime officials from entering or staying in Canada.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, 82 visas were canceled, and 15 Iranian officials were identified for deportation. One of them voluntarily left Canada, and hearings were held for others to decide their expulsion. Deportation orders were issued to some officials, but only one has been removed so far. The CBSA explained that foreign citizens can only be deported after exhausting all legal options.
While some cases are ongoing, the CBSA and IRB have kept the names and positions of alleged Iranian regime members confidential. The agencies believe that revealing such sensitive information could endanger the lives of the claimants. Before the new policy, Canada had become a safe haven for Iranian officials and members of the Revolutionary Guard, prompting the government to take action. The recent expansion of the ban on regime members includes those who worked in senior positions after June 23, 2003. Iranian-Canadians are demanding transparency and answers regarding the identities and actions of these officials.
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