Canada to Ban More Former Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran from Entering the Country

The Canadian government is expanding a list of officials from the Islamic Republic of Iran that it deems 'inadmissible' to this northern neighbor of the United States. Ottawa first announced measures under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in November 2022, banning the entry of several senior officials of the Islamic Republic. According to CBC News Canada, these measures included those individuals who have been senior members of the Iranian government since November 2019. However, the Canada Border Services Agency announced on Sunday that it considers the date of June 23, 2003, and thereafter for this purpose. The statement reads: 'The revised date reflects the day the Iranian regime arbitrarily tortured and killed Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist, during her detention.' The brutal behavior of Islamic Republic officials towards detainees, including Mahsa Amini, has been reported multiple times, although Islamic Republic officials have repeatedly denied these reports. It is still unclear how many Iranian government officials will be affected by these measures. The government press release stated that in addition to the ban on entry to Canada, Islamic Republic officials will be subject to actions that may deprive them of temporary or permanent residency status in Canada. Last year, the federal government of Canada announced the prohibition of entry for dozens of senior officials of the Islamic Republic. Since the implementation of that measure, about 100 individuals have been under review by the Canadian government for potential connections to the Iranian government. According to CBC, the sighting of a former police commander (Morteza Talayi) at a gym in the Toronto area in 2021 led many Iranian Canadians to claim that Canada had become a haven for senior members of the Islamic Republic. Last June, after years of increasing pressure from opponents of the Iranian government, the Canadian government finally designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.