A grassroots coalition of lawyers and concerned Iranians in Canada is urging the public to share any information they may have about individuals connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Islamic Republic.
This appeal follows Canada's official designation of Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a "terrorist entity" in June, underscoring the government's responsibility to act against such threats.
Established in 2022, StopIRGC is a British Columbia-based organization led by Iranian-Canadian lawyers and volunteers dedicated to investigating and identifying potential activities associated with the IRGC. Since the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of Tehran's morality police in September 2022, the coalition has taken on the task of tracking the Islamic Republic’s agents operating on Canadian soil. These agents are believed to spy on Iranian diaspora activists and engage in activities such as money laundering and sanctions evasion.
In response to persistent appeals from the Iranian diaspora to bar regime-affiliated officials from entering Canada—particularly following the Iranian authorities' brutal crackdown on the nationwide "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests in 2022—the Canadian government has begun deporting individuals linked to the establishment. In July, reports emerged that Canadian immigration authorities had initiated deportation proceedings against five suspected senior Iranian government officials residing in the country. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has alleged that these individuals held senior positions within Iran’s government and has requested the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to conduct hearings on their cases, as reported by Global News.
Although the Trudeau government imposed sanctions in November 2022 to bar individuals connected to the Iranian state from entering Canada, the first deportation order was issued in February 2024. According to Global News, this policy has already resulted in deportation orders against Majid Iranmanesh, a former science advisor, and Seyed Salman Samani, a former deputy interior minister.
Nevertheless, the influence of the Islamic Republic extends beyond the Iranian diaspora, encompassing anti-Israeli activities as well. In early August, Iran International exclusively reported that Iran was orchestrating anti-Israel protests at a Canadian university, aiming to weaken Western support for Israel and sow division within Canada.
Furthermore, in its annual report released in May, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) highlighted cyber-attacks originating from the Islamic Republic, specifically targeting Canada. A separate report on foreign interference, also published in May, identified Iran, alongside China, Russia, India, and Pakistan, as key threats to Canadian national security.
In November 2019, nationwide protests erupted in Iran after the government unexpectedly tripled fuel prices overnight, sparking widespread outrage across the country. What began as an economic protest quickly escalated into an anti-government movement, with demonstrators in 29 provinces and hundreds of cities voicing their frustration with the Islamic regime.
The government responded by deploying security forces who used live ammunition to suppress the crowds. The crackdown resulted in the deaths of at least 1,500 people, according to Reuters, and a nationwide internet blackout to prevent the world from seeing the full extent of the killings.
In addition, at least 6,000 deaths with "unknown causes" were recorded in November 2019.
These 89 individuals, arrested during the nationwide protests were initially released on bail. Now, years later, they have been dragged back into the judicial system and found guilty by the first investigative branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in Likak. Their so-called crimes are "Disrupting public order," "destroying public property," and other charges that the Islamic Republic conveniently uses to silence dissent.
The timing of the sentencing raises questions: why, after five years of silence, has the judiciary suddenly decided to punish the group now, especially amid growing rumors of a potential fuel price hike under President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration?
It is likely that the government wants to send a message: if you dare to challenge the Islamic Republic, you will be hunted down, no matter how much time has passed. The HRANA news agency has published the identities and details of these individuals, a public shaming apparently intended to instill fear in those who might consider taking to the streets in the future.
In Likak, under the direction of Mehrdad Soltani, the judiciary assembled its case against these 89 citizens. The so-called evidence included police videos, intelligence reports, and confessions extracted under dubious circumstances—confessions that are more likely the result of torture than voluntary admissions of guilt.
As Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have reported, the Islamic Republic's use of force during the protests was unprecedented, with the highest death tolls in marginalized regions such as the impoverished towns in Tehran, Khuzestan, and Kermanshah.
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, sealed the fate of these protesters with his infamous speech on November 17, 2019. Labeling the demonstrators as "thugs, counter-revolutionaries, and enemies," Khamenei not only justified but ordered the crackdown that followed. The message was according to many unambiguous: challenge the regime, and you will be crushed.
Human rights groups and activists have long accused the Islamic Republic’s for using fear as a tool of governance. With the internet blackout and the mass arrests of 2019 still fresh in the collective memory, possibly Tehran is now demonstrating that it has no qualms about revisiting the past to punish those who dared to rise against it.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency or HRANA’s reports suggest that while these people have been convicted, others involved in the same case have been exonerated or had their charges dropped. It is also believed that the selective prosecution serves the Islamic Republic’s broader strategy of creating uncertainty and fear—if you protest, your fate will be decided not by the law, but by the whims of those in power.