When Ottawa says that Iran “completely disregards human rights,” it cites the IRGC’s connections to Hamas and Hezbollah. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran has been labeled a “terrorist” organization by Canada, and the country has urged its citizens who live in Iran to leave.
The Canadian government made the declaration on Wednesday, saying that the move will assist Ottawa with “countering fear monger funding”. According to a statement released by the Canadian government, “the decision to list the IRGC through the Criminal Code listing regime sends a strong message that Canada will use all tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist activity of the IRGC, conducted both unilaterally and in knowing association with listed terrorist entities such as Hezbollah and Hamas.” Iran on Thursday denounced Canada’s posting as an “imprudent and flighty politically roused step”, the Fars news office detailed.
“Canada’s activity won’t affect the Progressive Gatekeepers’ authentic and obstacle power,” said Iran’s Service of International concerns representative Nasser Kanaani, adding that Tehran maintains all authority to answer appropriately to the posting. Conservatives in Canada’s opposition have pleaded with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for years to blacklist the IRGC.
Canada’s minister of public safety, Dominic LeBlanc, made the decision on Wednesday, citing Iran’s human rights record as one of the reasons. LeBlanc said in a statement, “The Iranian regime has consistently demonstrated a complete disregard for human rights, both inside and outside Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order.” “Listing the IRGC builds on the larger efforts made by the Canadian government to ensure that Iran’s illegal actions and support for terrorism are not tolerated,” Unfamiliar Pastor Melanie Joly encouraged Canadians not to go to Iran, refering to an increased gamble of “erratic confinement”.
It’s time to return home for those in Iran right now. Don’t go to Iran, people who are planning to do so, she said at a news conference. The listing prohibits Canadian citizens from engaging in financial transactions with the IRGC and requires Canadian financial institutions to freeze any IRGC assets. In 2019, the IRGC was designated a “terrorist” organization by the United States.
An official branch of the Iranian military is the IRGC, an elite force that has some autonomy and reports directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Relations among Iran and Canada have been rough for a really long time. In 2012, Ottawa severed diplomatic ties with Tehran, citing Tehran’s support for the beleaguered Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad and its nuclear program. The relationship soured further in 2020 after Iran destroyed a plane with many Canadian residents and extremely durable occupants ready.
The Ukraine Global Aircrafts flight was headed for Kyiv when it was hit with two rockets not long after departure from Tehran on January 8, 2020. The missile strike occurred at a time when US-Iran tensions were rising. Following the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad, the IRGC had earlier targeted US forces in Iraq. Iranian officials have claimed that human error in the operation of an air defense system was to blame for the Boeing 737’s downing.
Ten unidentified individuals who were accused of being involved in the incident received their first sentences from an Iranian court last year. The person in charge of the defense system was one of them. Iran has likewise set pay at $150,000 for every one of the casualties’ families, and it said last year that it had started the installments. However, Canada alleged Iran’s failure to “conduct an impartial, transparent, and fair criminal investigation and prosecution consistent with international law” in a case brought before the International Court of Justice.
The Canadian government is being questioned about its own commitment to human rights in light of its close ties with Israel, which has been accused of widespread abuses in Gaza. This coincides with the IRGC’s listing.
