More than a week after the death of the Islamic Regime in Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi, “The Butcher of Tehran,” calls for Canada to designate the Islamic Republic Guard Corps as a terror group are mounting.
An informal coalition of political and civic leaders who oppose the Islamic Republic in Iran held a press conference in Ottawa, Ont., to discuss Canada’s response to the death of Raisi, who was responsible for the executions of thousands of political prisoners, women, gays and apostates from Islam in Iran.
The meeting followed a May 9 vote by Canadian MPs asking the government to blacklist the IRGC for its crimes against its people and its role in terrorism in the Middle East.
Despite the vote, the Liberal government has yet to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity.
The panel of speakers included MPs, some of whom have held roles in human rights committees for the region, and representatives of the Iranian diaspora community.
Two Iranian-Canadians held pictures of their loved ones who were executed at the command of Raisi and three other “judges of death” during the 1988 massacre of political prisoners.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance to Iran, an international democratic organization that opposes the Islamic regime, urged the government of Canada to ratify the MPs’ decision.
“Take the necessary action that has been delayed for years, officially listing the IRGC, the evil corps of darkness and crimes, as a terrorist organization,” Rajavi said. “This important step shows solidarity with the people of Iran, especially the young boys and girls who are standing up to the IRGC and refusing to give in to its cruelty.”
She said the IRGC is the regime’s primary military arm in the region, and is in control of a significant portion of Iran’s economy.
“(The IRGCs) revenues are entirely used for repression, terrorism and war,” Rajavi said. “Many companies that are involved in legitimate economic activities under different pretexts outside of Iran are sources of support for the regime’s nuclear, missile, and drone programs, as well as its foreign warmongering.”
Liberal MP Judy Sgro echoed the calls to ratify the vote and stand with the Iranian people’s desire to rid themselves of the “compulsory government and the compulsory hijab.” Struan Stevenson, a former member of the European parliament, said the aftermath of Raisi’s death was a critical moment for Canada to take a firm stance against the regime in Iran.
He said blacklisting the IRGC would play a significant role in curtailing the regime’s abuses and power in the region.
Last week, Ardeshir Zarezadeh, an Iranian-Canadian and executive director of the International Centre for Human Rights in Canada, told True North that officially declaring the IRGC as a terrorist entity would prevent them from operating in Canada and terrorizing the diaspora of former Iranian political prisoners and dissidents such as himself.
