Iranian Authorities Cut Off Kurdish Death Row Inmate's Family Contact

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc made the announcement, proscribing the IRGC as a terror organization on June 19 at a news conference in Ottawa. Before the official announcement, CBC News and Iran International English were the first outlets to break the news. 

"The government leaked that listing, and that's not usually how something as serious as this takes place," Lantsman told Iran International’s ‘Eye for Iran’ Podcast.

Lantsman stated that while she does not attribute malicious intent to the federal government for the leak, it may have given individuals with ties to the IRGC time to relocate their money or assets within Canada.

The parliamentarian, whose party has been pressuring the federal government to list the IRGC, admitted that she does not know when the government began taking action or notifying banks.

Iran International sought an interview and a response to the allegations from Canada’s Public Safety Minister for the 'Eye for Iran' podcast but received no reply in time for publication.

In a previous email correspondence, a Public Safety spokesperson told Iran International that adding an entity to the terrorist list results in “significant and immediate consequences for the entity and those associated with the entity.” 

“Canadian financial institutions, such as banks and brokerages, must immediately freeze the entity’s assets, which can then be the subject of seizure, restraint or forfeiture," the spokesperson said. 

Lantsman said “You know when you give somebody a heads up of a decision you know, it allows things to move around. Frankly the government is sloppy on this, just as they've been sloppy on foreign interference, and more than sloppy, but outright dangerous.”

When asked by Iran International’s Negar Mojtahedi during 'Eye for Iran,' whether this points to potential foreign interference within the government itself, Lantsman responded that she does not have the intelligence to suggest that, but that it’s not usual to “see something written in the newspapers before you hear it from a minister's mouth. It's usually the other way around. It should be the other way around. Canadians should expect that it's the other way around.” 

The designation of the IRGC as a terrorist group has long been sought by Iranian-Canadians and the relatives of those killed when the IRGC shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 with two surface-to-air missiles on January 8, 2020. 

The downing killed all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents of Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resisted calls to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, despite his party's support for a motion to list it in 2018.

Trudeau previously cited several concerns, including the unintended consequences such a designation could have for individuals conscripted into the group. 

In an email, a Public Safety spokesperson told Iran International that “being listed as a terrorist entity does not constitute a criminal offense, however it can lead to other criminal consequences.” 

The RCMP does not investigate movements or organizations for their ideological dispositions but rather for their criminal activities, the statement said. 

The listing of the IRGC as a terrorist entity, the Public Safety spokesperson wrote, identifies individuals who have engaged in or played a “substantial role in terrorism and acts of violence.” Doing so allows the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to prevent these individuals from obtaining a visa, entering, or remaining in Canada.

You can watch the full podcast with Minister Melissa Lantsman on Iran International YouTube Page.

Kanaani expressed his disapproval on Friday, stating, "The meddling statements from the US regarding our presidential elections are a blatant and outrageous intrusion."

US acting special envoy for Iran, Abram Paley asserted on Wednesday through his social media account that there is "no expectation of free and fair elections or fundamental change in Iran’s direction."

Kanaani went on to say, "The US authorities persist with such baseless remarks, but the Iranian people will respond vigorously with their active and enthusiastic participation at the polls, as they have done historically."

Paley highlighted that the Guardian Council hand-picks the six candidates and noted severe limitations on Iranian voters' access to "even the most basic freedoms; necessary features of any democracy."

"In the face of the authoritarian regime’s long history of harassing and intimidating journalists, suppressing election coverage, and denying freedom of peaceful of assembly, we support the Iranian people," he said.

In a letter to Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Kristerson, they warned that such agreements encourage the Islamic Republic to hold foreign citizens and dual nationals hostage.

Signatories include the Pro-Republic Iranian Society in Sweden, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran-Austria, the Republican Iranians of Australia, and the Khavaran Justice Seekers, which represents families of thousands of prisoners killed in Iran in 1988.

The letter, published on Friday, emphasized that releasing Nouri has “severely damaged the Swedish government's reputation.”

Earlier this month, Sweden repatriated Nouri and secured the release of two Swedish citizens, Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi, who had been detained in Iran on allegations of "spying for Israel." However, the deal did not include Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian currently on death row, who has been on a hunger strike since June 26 to protest being excluded from the exchange.

Sweden’s Prime Minister expressed regret that Iran was unwilling to negotiate for Djalali’s release, acknowledging the dire situation of the hunger-striking prisoner. He also cautioned citizens against travel to Iran.

Amnesty International condemned Nouri's release, calling it a “stunning blow to survivors and relatives of victims” of the 1988 prison massacre in Iran.

Nouri had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Swedish court in 2022 for crimes against humanity related to his involvement in the mass executions of prisoners in the 1988.

His arrest in Sweden was based on the principle of universal justice, and his trial and conviction were hailed as significant steps for international justice. However, his release has faced widespread condemnation.

According to the Kurdish human rights organization Kordpa, which shared images of the messages sent to prisoners, they are asked to vote on Friday. The message tells prisoners that their families should also vote.

Failure to participate in the election results in being marked absent, leading to penalties such as three to six months imprisonment or up to 74 lashes based on law governing unverified absences.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic faces the challenge of reconnecting with a deeply disillusioned electorate. Official statistics reveal a stark decline in voter participation: 40.6% in the recent parliamentary elections, with Tehran recording its lowest turnout at 24%.

The run-off elections saw even lower participation, with only 7% in Tehran.

Simultaneously, numerous student organizations, women's groups, youth associations, and political activists have called for an election boycott.

Both candidates referenced Iran despite there being no questions about the country. The bulk of the 90-minute program focused on US domestic issues, particularly immigration and the economy.

When discussing foreign policy, the focus was on the war in Ukraine, followed by the crisis in Gaza and the possibility of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Iran was invoked only as an attack line by both sides, with no insight into how the next US administration may deal with the Islamic Republic and its Revolutionary Guards.

“Iran was broke. Anybody that did business with Iran, including China, they couldn’t do business with the United States. They all passed,” Trump said, claiming success in curtailing Iran’s anti-American activities in the Middle East. “Iran was broke. They had no money for Hamas, Hezbollah, for terror. No money whatsoever.”

Trump’s 'maximum pressure' campaign sharply reduced Iran’s oil revenues. The trend did change, however, during the last months of his tenure –and was cemented once Biden took office and set in motion his plan to revive the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump had unilaterally voided in 2018.

Surprisingly, Iran’s nuclear program got no mention, even though both candidates have many times vowed to do ‘everything’ possible to stop the Islamic Republic being armed by a nuclear bomb, calling it “the world’s biggest state sponsor of terror”.

Biden did not offer any direct defense of his Iran policy. Instead, he attacked Trump for not doing much outside tough speech. “Iran attacked our troops, but [Trump] did nothing,” Biden said, apparently referring to the retaliatory targeting of US base Ayn al-Asad following the killing of Iran’s top military man, Qasem Soleimani. “He called our troops’ brain injuries minor headaches.”

In spite of clear differences in outlook and style, the two candidates seemed to share the desire to appear tough on Iran, especially following the October 7 attack on Israel, which many believe would not have happened without Tehran’s support for Hamas.

Trump claimed once more that the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel would never have happened under his watch. He accused Biden of destroying the United States and losing the respect of the rest of the world. Biden pointed out that he had mobilized “50 countries” to defend Israel when Iran launched dozens of drones and missiles towards Israel in April.

The talking points will likely continue beyond Thursday’s televised debate, and Iran will likely feature again in both candidates’ election campaign –perhaps not as heavily as many expected, however, if the first debate is anything to go by.