Lawyers, activists seek tips on Iranian agents in Canada

As many as 700 people in Canada have suspected ties to the Iranian regime, 14 of which are considered ‘well-founded’ and involve senior regime members.

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  • August 26, 2024
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Lawyers, activists seek tips on Iranian agents in Canada
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A coalition of concerned lawyers and Canadians of Persian descent are calling on the public to relay information they may have about Iranian spies currently in the country with as many as 700 people in the country having suspected ties to the Iranian regime.

StopIRGC, a British Columbia-based organization led by Iranian-Canadian lawyers and volunteers, is dedicated to investigating and identifying potential activities associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC). 

The IRGC, the paramilitary organization backing Iran’s Supreme Leader, shot down Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 over Tehran on January 8, 2020, with two surface-to-air missiles. The strike killed all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.

It is also responsible for shocking atrocities against its citizenry, including the death of Mahsa Amini for allegedly violating rules requiring women to wear the hijab.

Since her passing in September 2022, the coalition has taken the initiative to track IRGC agents operating on Canadian soil. They allegedly spy and threaten critics of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei among the Iranian diaspora.

The appeal for public tips follows the Government of Canada designating the IRGC as a "terrorist entity" in June. They began deporting individuals last month, including five persons who allegedly held senior positions within Iran’s government.

"When individuals have been involved in activity that would make them ineligible to be in this country, we’ll do everything we can to keep them out. And when they do get into this country, we’ll do everything we can to remove them," Defence Minister Bill Blair told reporters last fall.

"People who have no place in Canada will be removed," he said. "We need the cooperation of the community. We need information in order to deal effectively with these individuals."

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) released figures on June 3 confirming 87 investigations into suspected senior Iranian regime members living in the country. 43 investigations were closed as the individuals in question were either not in Canada or were deemed senior officials.

At the time, Immigration officials reported 14 "well-founded" cases of senior regime members, seven of which have now been sent to the IRB for hearings. Apart from the two cases that have been completed, five are now listed as "ongoing."

"We can confirm that, at this time, the IRB has received a total of two such cases which proceeded in public: Mr. Iranmanesh and Mr. Samani," Refugee Board spokesperson Anna Pape told Global News.

The identities of other officials remain undisclosed under the Privacy Act, reported Global News.

"We have no other cases related to the Iran regime … that are proceeding in public at this time, and cannot comment on whether or not we have any non-public ones," Pape said.

In November 2022, then-public safety minister Marco Mendicino designated Iran a "regime that has engaged in terrorism and systematic and gross human rights violations" under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

That announcement made tens of thousands of Iranian officials and IRGC members inadmissible to Canada, with the CBSA denying entry to dozens of officials and their affiliates.

As of November 20, CBSA had denied 78 individuals entry into Canada, following a review of roughly 17,800 visa applications for potential inadmissibility.

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