Request for Continued Support from Canadian Parties for Human Rights in Iran

A number of Iranian-Canadian citizens and Iranians residing in Canada have written a letter to the leaders of the three major parties in the country, urging them to continue supporting human rights in Iran if any outcome arises from the upcoming federal elections. A copy of this letter, published on Saturday, October 16, has been signed by several university professors in Canada and former political prisoners in Iran, and has been made available to Radio Farda. Among the signatories are Ata Hodeshtian, a professor of philosophy and political science at the Canada Management Institute, Farakh Zandi, an economics professor at the Schulich School of Business at York University, Kevin Rad, a university professor and senior advisor at Toronto's Poly Clinic, Kaveh Shahrooz, a Harvard graduate and lawyer for the Iran Tribunal, and Mohsen Ghafghazi, a civil engineering professor at the University of Toronto. The signatories of this letter, referencing the killing of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian journalist in Evin prison, and the imprisonment of two Iranian citizens residing in Canada in Iran, have asked the leaders of Canada's major parties to pursue these matters if they become Prime Minister. The recipients of this letter are Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party and current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party, and Thomas Mulcair, leader of the New Democratic Party. The federal general elections in Canada will be held on Monday, October 18, and the leader of the winning party will be the next Prime Minister of the country. The letter requests these individuals to seek 'justice for the unjustly spilled blood of Zahra Kazemi,' prohibit 'any cooperation with the English-language television of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Press TV), which grotesquely broadcasts confessions of political prisoners,' and not forget the status of Mostafa Azizi and Saeed Malekpour, two Iranian citizens residing in Canada who are currently imprisoned in Iran. Zahra Kazemi was an Iranian-Canadian journalist who, according to representatives of the sixth parliament, was killed in Evin prison by Saeed Mortazavi, the then Tehran prosecutor. Press TV, the English-language satellite television of the Islamic Republic, has also been placed on the European Union's list of human rights violators and sanctioned for broadcasting confessions of several political prisoners in Iran. Mr. Azizi and Mr. Malekpour have also been imprisoned in Iran for various charges for some time. Relations between Iran and Canada have been very tense since the killing of Ms. Kazemi, and various governments in Canada have taken a hardline stance against the Islamic Republic, particularly in the area of human rights. The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs ultimately closed its embassy in Tehran in September 2012 and gave the staff of the Islamic Republic's embassy in Ottawa five days to leave Canada, describing them as 'undesirable elements.' Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran has rejected Canada's accusations and has accused the country of human rights violations, particularly regarding the rights of indigenous peoples. In the recent letter from Iranian-Canadians and Iranians residing in Canada, praising Canada's 'values and principles,' the future Prime Minister of Canada has been asked to 'firmly and insistently pursue the dire human rights situation in Iran.' Canada, located in North America, has a population of over 35 million and is considered one of the wealthiest and freest countries in the world. Cities like Toronto and Montreal, which are among the largest cities in Canada, are often introduced by international organizations and media as some of the best cities in the world to live in. In recent years, tens of thousands of Iranians have immigrated to Canada, making it one of the largest immigration destinations for Iranians.