In this episode, we take a look at the Iranian regime s reach on Canadian soil, and the people who live there. We speak to Iranian dissidents, journalists, and human rights activists who have been targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
00:00:00.000Canada is a rule of law country that is something of the utmost and foundational importance in a country of rule of law. We are a country of the rule of law.
00:00:30.000That reporting was shocking. Political fallout tonight over our reporting about the Iranian regime's reach on Canadian soil.
00:00:46.000But to think that we might have terrorist-linked Iranian regime thugs operating with impunity, spending stolen money, and intimidating Canadian Jews and Iranians is appalling.
00:01:04.000The leader of the opposition has been vocal about getting tough with the Islamic Republic, but even he admits he had no idea how widespread the problem is.
00:01:13.000Your documentary made me realize how much more brutal it is.
00:01:20.000They will not be prosecuted. That's just a fact.
00:01:23.000This BC lawyer has been building a database on an alarming number of regime insiders operating in Canada and threatening those who speak out against them.
00:01:32.000We have about 700 names right now that either have temporary residence, permanent residence, or citizenship that are in Canada and that are somehow regime affiliates.
00:01:43.000They came to Canada knowing that this is going to be safe haven.
00:01:48.000They live in big mansions that they bought from money they stole from poor people in Iran.
00:01:53.000To learn from your report that it was 700 was staggering and it requires immediate action to kick them out of this country.
00:02:03.000World-renowned human rights activist Massey Ali Najat has been an outspoken critic of the regime for years.
00:02:09.000She has been moving from safe house to safe house ever since an alleged attempt on her life in July of last year.
00:02:16.000Not only is she in danger in the United States, she shared this disturbing detail about the dangers in Canada too.
00:02:23.000The FBI told me that as far as you are in America, we will protect you, but we suggest you not to go to Canada.
00:02:31.000It's mind-blowing. Who would ever have thought eight years ago that our allies would think Canada is too dangerous a place to go.
00:02:40.000The solution? Paliyev has been pushing to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity in Canada.
00:02:47.000We have a common sense plan to ban those terrorists, to expel as many as possible, to smash them with sanctions,
00:02:57.000and to bring in a foreign agent registry so that we can expose every single one of them.
00:03:02.000We also reached out to the prime minister's office and four federal cabinet ministers, but none were available for comment.
00:03:09.000But we will keep pushing for answers, if only because the people risking their lives to speak out against the regime deserve them.
00:04:14.000The Islamic Republic's agents are everywhere in this country, everywhere.
00:04:29.000Hamid Esmailioun has learned in the most tragic way possible that he always has to watch his back.
00:04:36.000If you're on the air, in a plane, or if you're on the ground, the dictatorship regimes, they can endanger your life.
00:04:49.000January 8th, 2020, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 with two surface-to-air missiles.
00:05:00.000176 people were killed, including 55 Canadians.
00:05:10.000Among them, Hamid's beloved wife, Parisa, and nine-year-old daughter, Rira.
00:05:15.000In this country, victims of Islamic Republic are buried.
00:05:29.000When I come here and I am by myself, I get paralyzed for a day.
00:05:36.000He channeled his grief into action, demanding answers, calling for a full investigation.
00:06:20.000The fearless Iranian-American journalist is one of the biggest supporters of the woman life freedom movement that rocked Iran in September of last year.
00:06:31.000If we became a rebel, that's how we will win the battle.
00:06:37.000Protesters across the country filled the streets when 22-year-old Massa Amini was beaten to death by police.
00:06:46.000We, the people of Iran, we are brave enough to bring democracy for ourselves.
00:06:52.000Masi's voice forced the world to pay attention to the regime's violent suppression of women and girls.
00:06:58.000That made the petite but fiery activist public enemy number one.
00:07:04.000She wears it as a badge of honour, but her courage comes at a price.
00:08:44.000American security expert Gabriel Narona served as special adviser on Iran to the U.S. State Department from 2019 to 2021.
00:08:54.000What I constantly hear from Iranian Americans, they say the problem in Canada is far, far worse than you can imagine.
00:09:02.000The FBI told Masi if she insisted on going to Canada, they'd need months to prepare.
00:09:09.000That sounds like if she were going to Turkey or Iraq, it shouldn't be the case that when you're going to Canada,
00:09:17.000that you have to spend months in advance making sure that you're going to be safe.
00:09:22.000Masi says those who are threatened here are left out in the cold without the kind of security she gets.
00:09:30.000None of them were under protection of the police in Canada.
00:09:34.000They sent death threats to Hamed and many other activists.
00:09:39.000Why? Because they don't see any consequence. They don't see any punishment.
00:09:43.000I had a conversation with RCMP officers and I said, if you have any recommendation for me,
00:09:50.000because I see that the threats are going on, especially on social media.
00:09:54.000They said to me that they have no resources. They're busy with Ukraine, Russia, other things, China.
00:10:01.000If something happens to me, nobody can help me. So you feel helpless.
00:10:07.000Never were Hamed's fears better demonstrated than in early August, when this man came to Canada.
00:10:15.000His name is Sayed Hassan Azizadeh Hashemi. He was a senior member of the same Iranian administration responsible for killing Hamed's family and 53 other Canadians.
00:10:28.000The worst part is we would have likely never found out had it not been for Iranians spotting him in the background of a TV news report on Quebec tourism.
00:10:37.000It was outrageous for the whole community.
00:10:40.000Hamed saw that footage on social media. He couldn't believe it and called out the Canadian government.
00:10:46.000This all happened only months after we first spoke with him.
00:10:50.000We talked to him about it later in Vancouver at the screening of a film about the tragedy of Flight 752.
00:10:57.000It was not an ordinary person. You see that he had a photo with Hassan Nasrullah, the leader of Hezbollah,
00:11:03.000which is a terrorist organization in this country.
00:11:07.000In response to Hamed's calls to have him deported, Hashemi reportedly fired back with a threat.
00:11:13.000He was quoted in this Iranian magazine saying,
00:11:16.000I will retaliate against the treachery of the foreign media outlets and Hamed Esmailioun.
00:11:22.000It made me angry actually. Why? He's here and he threatens everybody he wants.
00:11:28.000In late August, Canada's immigration minister finally weighed in.
00:11:34.000Mark Miller tweeted that Hashemi's application for temporary residence was denied
00:11:38.000and that he was being barred for three years due to, quote,
00:11:45.000That's a totally unserious response. Three years?
00:11:49.000In three years you can go on vacation with the rest of Europe and then come back to Canada, an unchanged man.
00:11:54.000This person should be permanently blocked and every other Iranian official like him should be permanently blocked.
00:12:00.000Even an immigration lawyer like Ramin Jubin can't figure out how Hashemi was allowed to enter in the first place.
00:12:08.000It boggles my mind, too, how that individual got into Canada. I don't know.
00:12:12.000It's just a slap in the face of the community here.
00:12:21.000And they engage in intimidation and threats and money laundering.
00:12:24.000The issue is so rampant, Ramin has formed a group of lawyers working to identify and investigate those with close ties to the regime living here.
00:12:34.000The main categories, embezzlement, money laundering, threat.
00:12:39.000We have about 700 names right now that are either have temporary residence, permanent residence or citizenship that are in Canada and that are somehow regime affiliates.
00:12:52.000About 700 names. We still counting. So it's going to be closer to a thousand.
00:12:57.000Describe to me what some of the biggest things that you're seeing on your list and why this is so concerning.
00:13:03.000Impunity. Impunity to operate in Canada engaging in financial and violent crimes.
00:13:11.000The most violent individuals I can imagine if you just go and grab women's hair and throw them in the curb.
00:13:17.000These individuals are allowed to live in Canada. They will not be prosecuted. That's just a fact.
00:13:22.000Ramin says many of the regime connected insiders come with millions of dollars. Often they are involved in financial fraud or large scale government corruption.
00:13:34.000And they settle in wealthy neighbourhoods in Canada.
00:13:37.000Some of them have citizenship. They've had citizenship for a long time.
00:13:41.000And they knew, OK, once I embezzle, I can go to Canada and live a lavish life in West Vancouver or wherever.
00:13:48.000And some of them had this pre-planned already. And they came to Canada knowing that this is going to be their safe haven.
00:13:55.000And it affects everyone. It's in our own neighbourhoods. It's all over Canada.
00:13:59.000The British properties, known as Canada's Beverly Hills, is one of the country's most expensive postal codes.
00:14:12.000Kamran Malikpour says there are many people living here and across Metro Vancouver with close ties to the Iranian regime.
00:14:20.000If I give you by numbers, I have more than 300 properties that I know I have documents belongs to the families or the persons who are related who had a position in the Iran government.
00:14:40.000No, I could show you 40-50 right now in one hour.
00:14:44.000Kamran was a journalist in Iran who came to Canada in 2012. He says the number of regime affiliates in Canada is so large, exposing them has become his sole focus.
00:14:58.000And that work has put him in danger. In September, a top Iranian official levelled a threat against Iran International, the news outlet Kamran works for.
00:15:08.000The Iran Intelligence Minister himself told that Iran International is a terroristic organisation. And because of that, we have this right to attack them anywhere, in any country, anytime.
00:15:24.000Every day when I go out from home, I have this feeling maybe this is the last day I'm leaving the home.
00:15:30.000We, for the past 20 years, have been telling the government that this is going to become a very serious problem.
00:15:39.000Payam Ahavon says the time has come to confront this threat.
00:15:44.000Not just within Iran, but it has even spread its tentacles right here in Canada.
00:15:51.000The Iranian-Canadian is one of the world's most distinguished human rights lawyers.
00:15:57.000Through his work at the International Criminal Court, he's been a witness to some of the most notorious war crimes in modern history.
00:16:04.000I have had the opportunity to work on behalf of survivors of genocide in Bosnia, in Rwanda, and many other places in the world.
00:16:15.000But of course, my own home back in Iran remains a very special place in my consciousness, and I have a special sense of responsibility.
00:16:27.000He also has a special sense of outrage about the lack of accountability here.
00:16:32.000It's really disturbing to see now that those same elites that are responsible for so much evil and so much suffering are enjoying their ill-gotten wealth in Canada with impunity.
00:16:48.000And they are establishing networks of influence.
00:16:53.000They are even vilifying and intimidating and threatening those who have escaped the Islamic Republic so that they could have a life of safety and freedom in Canada.
00:17:06.000As a lawyer and an advisor to the Canadian government on the investigation into Flight 752, Payam chooses his words carefully.
00:17:15.000But on the danger to this country, he doesn't hold back.
00:17:18.000We should not be naive enough to believe that the day would not come when they would decide to assassinate people here in Canada if it was in their interest to do so.
00:17:31.000That is the modus operandi of this regime. Intimidation, threats, and violence. Yes, violence, including beyond the borders of Iran.
00:17:43.000U.S. security expert Gabriel Nerona agrees. He says the Islamic Republic has proven over and over again it will kill its critics anywhere in the world.
00:17:53.000The regime has conducted over 360 terror assassinations in its 44 year history.
00:17:59.000Speaking for the United States, there are active plots around at least a dozen Americans.
00:18:05.000The United Kingdom has threats against 15 of its citizens.
00:18:09.000I have no doubt that there are active and significant threats against Canadians today.
00:18:19.000Payam says there are some promising developments.
00:18:23.000Canada has expanded sanctions against some regime officials in Iran.
00:18:27.000And amended legislation to allow police to seize assets of those implicated in human rights abuses and corruption.
00:18:35.000The moment that the government seizes the first assets of these individuals, many of them will pack their bags and go.
00:18:44.000But it's not just about enforcing laws. Immigration lawyer Ramin Jubin says Canada needs to go much further.
00:18:51.000It's a lot of words, not enough action.
00:18:54.000The United States declared Iran's notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group in 2019.
00:19:04.000The powerful paramilitary organization reports only to the supreme leader.
00:19:09.000Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has publicly acknowledged they are a big problem.
00:19:14.000We will be working with all the tools at our disposal to make sure that Canada is never again a haven for killers, murderers and those responsible for the repression of Iranian people.
00:19:29.000The government has designated some IRGC group members as inadmissible.
00:19:34.000Despite the prime minister's tough talk, the organization as a whole still hasn't been added to Canada's terror list.
00:19:41.000It's a terrorist organization. It's good that people know about that more and more. That's great.
00:19:46.000But if it's a terrorist organization, where's the action? Why are they not on the terrorist list?
00:19:51.000The prime minister has resisted calls to list the IRGC as a terrorist group because some Iranians are forced into the organization as part of their mandatory military service.
00:20:02.000But Ramin says Canada is able to identify low level conscripts who served against their will and make exceptions.
00:20:09.000He says the terrorist designation gives the justice system much more ammunition.
00:20:14.000If you take action in one side and you keep silent on the other side, then you are hypocrites.
00:20:20.000During an appearance at Canada's parliament in 2019, Masi Ali Najad pleaded with the government to take stronger action.
00:20:28.000So you see, killing, taking hostage, murdering, executing is in the DNA of the Islamic Republic.
00:20:37.000So maybe you think that this is some problem with Iranians, let them deal with it.
00:20:42.000It's not. The Islamic Republic is a threat to Canadians.
00:20:47.000And Gabriel says that threat is worse in Canada than almost anywhere else in the world.
00:20:53.000If we allow complacency to happen, then the smoking gun will be a dead body of an Iranian Canadian.