Canadian human rights activist and former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler is the target of an alleged failed assassination attempt by Iranian agents, but he is confident in his ability to protect himself and is worried about the alleged threat. He says he hasn’t.
Kotler added that he believes the alleged threats against him are not personal, but rather an example of an increasingly aggressive Iranian regime.
“I have great protection and I’m not worried about that at this point, because I believe that part of the Iranian regime’s objectives are silence, intimidation and harassment. And we will indulge it. “I don’t think it can be done,” Kotler said. he told CTV News Channel’s Power Play host Vassie Kapelos in an interview Tuesday.
“On the other hand, we have to fight it,” he added. “We must show solidarity with the Iranian people and hold the Iranian regime accountable.”
Mr. Kotler is the founder and chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights.
Details of the alleged plot thwarted by law enforcement were first reported on Monday’s Globe and Mailsaid, citing an anonymous source. The news was confirmed to CTV News by Kotler’s office. The newspaper reported that Kotler was told late last month that his life was in immediate danger.
Kotler, a former special envoy for preserving Holocaust memory and combating anti-Semitism, confirmed to CTV News in December that he was under 24-hour security, but could not explain why. Didn’t make it clear.
He told Kapelos in an interview last December that he had “great protection” and felt “safe.”
“I’ve just continued my work and my advocacy because it’s not really about me,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “What we are talking about here is a phenomenon of cross-border repression and assassination, in which Iran has begun to target dissidents, human rights activists, political leaders and others in a more intense manner.”
Erwin Kotler, former Special Envoy for Preserving Holocaust Memory and Combating Anti-Semitism, speaks at the “Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It” conference in Ottawa, Tuesday, October 17, 2023. His achievements were recognized and he gave a lecture. (Justin Tan/Canadian Press)
Kotler called the phenomenon a “threat to national security, national sovereignty and collective human rights” and called on democratic leaders to see his case as a “wake-up call.”
He said Iran’s cross-border domestic repression should be a priority for the G7, and Canada should set up a special agency to combat it. Kotler cited Canada’s foreign interference investigation as one aspect of cross-border repression, adding that there are other aspects of the issue that should be fully considered and addressed.
“But like I said, we’ve seen things like this in other places, so we need a specific department to address this,” Kotler said. “We need to work collaboratively across the democratic community to prioritize this as a matter of principle and policy.”
Several MPs, including Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, the prime minister’s new special assistant on relations with the Jewish community and anti-Semitism, have expressed concern about the alleged assassination plot, calling it “shocking.” “This is horrifying,” and “totally unacceptable.”
And on Monday, MPs who unanimously supported a Bloc Quebecois-led motion recognizing Cotler’s contributions to human rights condemned the death threat “orchestrated by agents of the Iranian regime.”
In an emailed statement to CTV News on Monday, the RCMP said it does not disclose details of protective measures or confirm the identities of those in protection, but those decisions are It is based on an ongoing threat and risk assessment.” ”
You can watch Cotler’s full interview in the video player at the top of this article.
