Iran International
Human rights advocates in Canada are urging the country’s national police to gather evidence on Canadians linked to Iran’s repression apparatus after thousands of protesters were killed in January.
The call is directed at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and centers on what is known as a “structural investigation,” an evidence-gathering process that could help lay the groundwork for future prosecutions of individuals linked to crimes against humanity.
“We know that there are a number of IRGC officials in Canada, and also a very large Iranian diaspora with substantial evidence they can provide to the RCMP,” said Brandon Silver, an international human rights lawyer and founding director of policy and projects at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.
“The RCMP can initiate what’s called a structural investigation into crimes against humanity,”
The push comes amid mounting demands for accountability after Iran International’s Editorial Board confirmed that more than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8–9 crackdown, the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history.
Advocates say Canada must ensure perpetrators cannot find refuge abroad — and that Iranian Canadians have a direct avenue to report evidence.
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, a member of the Iranian Justice Collective, said structural investigations would give Iranian Canadians a concrete pathway to come forward and begin the accountability process.
Calls from Parliament Hill
The renewed push followed a day of meetings and testimony in Ottawa, where Afshin-Jam appeared before the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights.
“Yesterday I was invited to testify before the subcommittee on international human rights to give an update on the human rights situation in Iran and to also provide some recommendations,” she said.
Afshin-Jam said the aim was to press Canada to move beyond statements of condemnation toward tangible action.
Pressure on the IRGC
Silver also urged Ottawa to expand sanctions against senior officials directing the repression.
“Sanction the architects of this repression, starting with the Ayatollah,” he said.
He argued that Canada should coordinate closely with allies as international pressure mounts on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Afshin-Jam said Canada has already taken significant steps in the past — including listing the IRGC and closing its embassy in Tehran — and should again lead among Western democracies.
Advocates said they were encouraged by signs of cross-party engagement in Parliament but stressed that the next step must be follow-through: evidence collection, sanctions enforcement, and coordinated international action.
