‘Safe haven’: Iranian Canadians urge Ottawa to weed out regime officials – National

Iranian Canadians are urging Canada to take more action to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for members of Iran’s regime. According to documents released by the foreign interference commission, Iranian Canadians are concerned about the presence of regime officials involved in criminal activities and human rights abuses in Canada.

Despite Ottawa’s promise to expel top regime officials, the Canada Border Services Agency has only deported one out of the 18 identified so far. Tehran-born human rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay expressed her concern that Canada is known as a safe haven for Islamic regime officials and their families.

She highlighted the need for border agents to have more awareness and training, suggesting the use of the public online database Faces of Crimes to document the abuses of regime officials in Iran. The inquiry also heard reports of former Iranian police chiefs and cabinet ministers spotted in Canadian cities.

The Iranian regime has been accused of targeting dissidents in the diaspora with threats and intimidation, including threats to families in Iran. The Canadian government has banned senior regime officials from the country in response to Tehran’s suppression of women’s rights demonstrations.

Efforts are being made to identify and deport suspected top regime members, but progress has been slow. A deportation hearing is pending for an Iranian individual involved in helping the Islamic republic evade sanctions.

The Iranian diaspora in Canada is calling for better screening processes and increased scrutiny of immigration applications from Iran to prevent the infiltration of regime officials and to protect dissidents from threats and intimidation.