Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is considering ways to list the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday honored the victims of Flight PS752, which was shot down by the Revolutionary Guard shortly after takeoff from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. He made this comment at a memorial service.
Families of the victims have been calling on the government for years to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
The federal government took action in response to the Revolutionary Guards’ actions. The government is using the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to ban senior Iranian regime officials from entering Canada. the result, Canada Border Services Agency refuses entry to dozens of Iranian officials And it is investigating about 100 people with Canadian residency status for possible ties to Tehran.
But Prime Minister Trudeau indicated Monday that the government is considering further options.
The Prime Minister said, “I am aware that there is still work to be done to hold the regime accountable, and I will continue to work on this, including continuing to find ways to responsibly designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.” .
On the fourth anniversary of the downing of Flight PS752, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will seek ways to hold Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) accountable for the deaths of 176 people on board, including Canadians.
The Liberal government has long resisted calls from the opposition Conservative Party and the families of PS 752 victims to designate the entire Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. They argue that such listing would be a heavy-handed approach that could affect lower-class citizens forced to serve in paramilitary groups.
CIA says Compensate for conscription More than 50 percent of the IRGC.
Trudeau’s comments came after Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc also did not rule out the possibility of the Revolutionary Guards being designated as a terrorist last week.
“Our government is always considering measures to strengthen national security and hold terrorist organizations accountable,” LeBlanc told reporters Friday when asked about the Revolutionary Guards.
“I am asking the national security agencies to keep updating their advice to the government on the possibility of future listings, and if there is more to say about a particular change in position, I will say something at that time. intend.”
Monday’s ceremony in Richmond Hill marked four years since the PS752 tragedy. In addition to the Prime Minister, the event was attended by Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez, and Conservative Party Deputy Leader Melissa Lanstmann.
Speaking after Trudeau, Lanzmann reiterated his party’s call for the Revolutionary Guards to be designated as a terrorist organization.
“This heinous act of murder highlights a truth our country has known for a long time: The Revolutionary Guards are a terrorist group,” she said. “No one has stood as resolutely for justice as all of you here today.”
The ceremony included a moment of silence and a screening of a short documentary about the victims. Photos of the victims were projected on a large screen as family members read out their names and ages.
Azadeh Heidari, mother of 21-year-old passenger Amir Marodi, said: “Four excruciating years have passed since this crime, which is unprecedented in the history of aviation.”
“We come together today to remember and remember all our loved ones who have tragically passed away.”
Maral Golginpour’s husband, Fareed Arasteh, was also on the plane. It was three days after her wedding, she said.
“To be honest, I’m still in denial. I can’t believe he’s not here,” she said.
She remembered her late husband’s big smile and positive outlook.
“Nothing was impossible for him. If he wanted something, no matter what happened, he would get it,” Goginpool said, adding that every time he felt like giving up, added that it reminds him of him.
Golginpour said she and other victims’ relatives continue to seek answers.
“Their lives were brutally taken and four years later we still have no idea what happened that night,” she said. The Canadian government has done a lot for victims’ families, she added, but the process has been slow.
Canada, other countries file suit against Iran with UN agency
The governments of Canada, Ukraine, Sweden and the United Kingdom on Monday launched dispute proceedings against Iran before the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) board.
Canada and its international partners want the ICAO board to rule that Iran has breached its obligations under the Chicago Convention, an international agreement that sets the core rules and standards for safe air travel around the world. .
“Iran has refused to accept full legal responsibility for the downing of Flight PS752, despite repeated attempts to negotiate this issue,” a joint statement from the two governments said.
“Starting these proceedings today reflects our commitment to families who deserve justice.”
Governments are calling on the ICAO board to order the Iranian government to take full responsibility for its actions, apologize to the families of the victims, and pay reparations.
“The Iranian regime must be held accountable,” Prime Minister Trudeau said at a ceremony Monday.
The Iranian government claimed in a 2021 report that the airliner was shot down by mistake after being “misidentified” as a “hostile target” by its air defense forces, but Canadian safety officials say Iran does not support this conclusion with evidence. It is said that there is no.
Iran has promised to pay $150,000 to each family of those killed on the plane, but Canada has rejected the offer, arguing that compensation should not be decided unilaterally by Iran.
Kourosh Doostchenas, spokesperson for the PS752 Victims’ Families Association, said the referral of the case to ICAO was an “important development”.
“Financial compensation is not, and has never been, our primary objective,” he said at Monday’s ceremony. “We demand truth, accountability and justice.”
