This meeting of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights was a briefing on the human rights situation in Iran. Witnesses included human rights activists Nazanin Boniadi, Farough Abeyat, Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, and Atena Daemi, lawyer and senior fellow Kaveh Shahrooz, and Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights representatives Brandon Silver and Kimberly Lenz.
Nazanin Boniadi described the current repression in Iran as a systemic assault meeting the legal threshold for crimes against humanity, with tens of thousands possibly killed since late 2025. She recommended six actions: degrading the IRGC's capacity through multilateral enforcement, imposing sustained economic measures, guaranteeing the right to information via internet access, ending impunity through universal jurisdiction, demanding release of political prisoners, and moving to formal non-recognition of the Islamic Republic.
Farough Abeyat, speaking on behalf of the Ahwazi Democratic Popular Front, highlighted the systematic repression and discrimination faced by non-Persian peoples, particularly Ahwazi Arabs, including mass arrests, extrajudicial killings, and cultural erasure. He called for independent investigations, an end to collective punishment, release of political prisoners, and recognition of the right to self-determination for these communities.
Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay stated the current violence is unprecedented, with at least 33,000 killed, and urged Canada to convene a G7 coalition to coordinate action, including designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization and recalling ambassadors. She recommended funding secure internet access like Starlink and Psiphon, providing humanitarian aid for post-regime transition, activating universal jurisdiction, and supporting a crisis management centre for technocratic experts.
Atena Daemi reported that between 30,000 and 50,000 people have been killed, with over 20,000 arrested, and described systematic torture, forced confessions, and denial of medical care in prisons. She emphasized that international support creates security for political prisoners and urged the global community to build a unified wall against the regime's atrocities.
Kaveh Shahrooz characterized the regime as an illegitimate, cornered entity lashing out with violence, citing economic collapse and water shortages. He implored Canada to push for ICC indictments, fund Starlink terminals, deport regime officials and seize their assets, accept more refugees, and formally declare the Islamic Republic illegitimate, comparing it to apartheid South Africa.
Brandon Silver argued that Canada has the authority to open structural investigations into crimes against humanity due to a strong nexus with Canadian victims and perpetrators. He recommended prosecuting regime officials caught in Canada rather than deporting them, and urged sanctioning the Ayatollah as the architect of repression.
Kimberly Lenz urged Canada to target the IRGC by promoting its proscription with allies like the U.K. and deepening coordination with the EU. She noted the regime has announced imminent executions of thousands of detainees and stressed that Canadian leadership is needed to deny the regime impunity.
The committee discussed procedural matters and agreed to continue the study.
AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.