A Member of the Canadian Senate: My Proposal to Designate the IRGC as a Terrorist Group Has Been Approved

Ratna Hope, a member of the Canadian Senate, wrote on her Twitter that the Senate of Canada has agreed to her proposal to obligate the government to recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization. In an image she shared with her tweet, she reminded that "the crimes of the Islamic Republic regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps go beyond the borders of Iran." She also referred to the role of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC in "aggression against Ukraine," funding to create "instability" in the region through financing and supporting Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Ms. Hope, who has Indian heritage, married an Iranian man before immigrating to Canada. As an independent senator, she had previously met with a group of prominent figures opposing the Islamic Republic. She has also collaborated with Iranian-Canadian representatives in Parliament for action against the Islamic Republic. In her tweet, Ms. Hope mentioned a group of Canadian lawmakers, including Ali Ehsasi, a member of the Canadian Parliament, as well as a group of Iranian political figures and human rights activists, including Reza Pahlavi, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Azam Jangrooi, Hadi Ghaemi, Nazanin Boniadi, Masih Alinejad, and Hamid Ismailion. Details of this proposal and resolution have not yet been published on the Canadian Senate's website. Iranian Canadians have repeatedly asked Canadian officials to list the IRGC as a terrorist group since protests began in Iran nine months ago. The Canadian government announced a few months ago that it had sanctioned ten thousand IRGC officials and members, but it has not yet responded positively to requests to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Previously, Ardeshir Zarehzadeh, director of the International Human Rights Center in Canada, wrote on Twitter on Thursday, June 8: "On June 12, we will meet with several representatives in the Canadian Parliament to discuss why the IRGC should be on the terrorist list and what the government should do in this regard." The Canadian Parliament approved a proposal to recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization, presented by Garnett Genuis, in June 2018, but the Justin Trudeau government took no action in this regard. Reports from Bahar Rahbari on the gathering of Iranians in Toronto, Canada: The IRGC is a terrorist organization. Zarehzadeh: Canada has become a safe haven for officials of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC. Darya Safai: The European Union must keep the diplomatic path open with the Iranian government. Special program: What obstacles does the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization face in Europe and Canada?