OTTAWA — Canada sanctioned five Iranian officials and five entities Wednesday over what Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand called the regime’s “pervasive human rights violations.”Ottawa says those targeted helped suppress dissent through digital surveillance, censorship, violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation.“Canada is using every tool at its disposal, including targeted sanctions, to respond to the Iranian regime’s abhorrent conduct — from threatening international peace and security to committing pervasive human rights violations,” Anand said.“My message to the Iranian people is clear: Canada stands firmly with you in your pursuit of human rights, dignity and a better future.”The sanctioned individuals are Interior Minister and senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Eskandar Momeni; Tehran cyber police chief Davoud Moazami Goudarzi; Supreme Council of Cyberspace member Rasoul Jalili; law-enforcement intelligence official Mohsen Fathizadeh; and senior cyberspace official Ruhollah Momen Nasab..The entities include two Iranian technology companies, the state audiovisual regulator SATRA, a state censorship authority and the IRGC-established Seraj Cyberspace Organization.The sanctions freeze any Canadian-held assets and prohibit Canadians from conducting financial or property transactions with those listed. The five individuals are also inadmissible to Canada.Ottawa has now sanctioned 237 Iranian individuals and 265 entities through 24 rounds of measures imposed since October 2022.
