Canada slaps new sanctions on Iranian ‘propaganda’ as protests continue
Global News
Human rights activists see Iran’s crackdowns as an attempt to intimidate protesters and strike enough fear in the population to end the unrest.
Canada ahs slapped new sanctions that target “Iranian propaganda” as protests against the regime near their fourth month.
In a news release on Monday, the federal government said two Iranian officials and three entities are “complicit” in the “brutal repression of brave Iranian voices.” Iran has been rocked by protests following the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died while in the custody of Iran’s so-called morality police. She was being held for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
“Despite condemnation from the international community regarding the regime’s gross and systematic human rights violations, the regime continues to crack down on demonstrations and deploy propaganda that serves as a pretext for its destabilizing activities both domestically and abroad,” the federal government said in the release.
The individuals sanctioned Monday are Vahid Yaminpour and Mohsen Qomi.
Yaminpour, deputy minister of sports and youth, is also a state propaganda official who has worked for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Corp., a state-controlled media organization that answers to the supreme leader’s office and propagates the regime’s talking points, Ottawa alleged.
Meanwhile, Qomi is a senior regime insider who also acts as a deputy adviser for international affairs in the supreme leader’s office, and an adviser to the country’s supreme leader on international communications, the federal government said.
The organizations sanctioned are the 15 Khordad Foundation, an untaxed revolutionary foundation; Iran Newspaper, an official publication of Iran; and the Press Supervisory Board, an organ of Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Canadian officials said the latter is empowered by the Iranian regime’s Press Law to arbitrarily shut down news outlets and magazines should the board’s membership deem their published content to be harmful to the “bases of the Islamic Republic” or insulting to the supreme leader, senior members of the Shi’a clergy or public morals.