Evidence of meeting #51 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was iranian.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
A point of order, Mr. Chair, could we suspend the meeting for a few minutes to discuss with the interpreters?
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
4:15 p.m.
Political Scientist and Iranologist, Raoul-Dandurand Chair, UQAM, As an Individual
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, hon. members of the subcommittee, compatriots and other witnesses here today.
I come before you today to testify about the alarming situation—
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Excuse me. It's not your turn. Now we're asking for Ms. Daemi. Then we'll go back to you. I'm sorry about that.
4:15 p.m.
Political Scientist and Iranologist, Raoul-Dandurand Chair, UQAM, As an Individual
I apologize.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Ms. Daemi, go ahead, please. You have the floor for five minutes.
4:15 p.m.
A voice
I'm sorry. We're not getting anything.
4:15 p.m.
Human Rights Advocate, As an Individual
[Witness spoke in Persian, interpreted as follows:]
I am Atena Daemi. Between 2014 and 2022, I was in the hospital for six years as a political prisoner in Iran.
It was because of my activities in human rights and opposition. I was sent to other prisons, and my family was in trouble due to the situation. For 54 days I was on a hunger strike, and I realized later that I developed MS. In early May, I travelled to Ottawa with the flight number PS752 families association to meet with members of Parliament, including some of you, to advocate specific actions supporting Iranian human rights activities.
Just seven months after my release, Jina Amini was killed, and I became targeted by the Revolutionary Guard for a number of months, almost eight months. My sister and I ultimately embarked on a 10-hour journey to Iraq and Kurdistan. We had the opportunity to be accepted by Canada, and for months we have been living in Newfoundland.
The human rights situation in Iran is deeply troubling. Political and civil activists face lengthy imprisonment simply for expressing their opinions and beliefs. The injustices I experienced during my own imprisonment are still prevalent among political prisoners and their families. I joined other activists in petitioning the United Nations to acknowledge the gender apartheid in Iran and Afghanistan.
The regime also discriminates against religions, ethnicities, Baha'is and LGBTQ. There have been more than 100 people executed in 2024. There are no free books or media. There are so many children in the streets working. There are billions of dollars, critical to the Iranian economy, that the Revolutionary Guard receives, and it is used.... Mostly the money was to go to countries, including countries such as Canada.
The people of Iran reject this dictatorship of the Islamic Republic, advocating instead for the realization of women's rights and the right to life and freedom, as emphasized in the renowned slogan. However, as I mentioned earlier, in 2022 alone, extensive investigation by the United Nations facility found that hundreds of protesters had been killed, with reports of deliberate shootings.
The Revolutionary Guard, as you all are aware, caused the flight....
The IRGC has cost so many people in Kurdistan. They killed three people and are getting involved in the policies of Turkey and Kurdistan. There is almost no way that you can have any justice system in Iran.
They can cause more trouble for many countries. If you don't do much in Canada regarding the Flight PS752 case.... Failure to address it in 2018 and recent reaffirmation by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization....
Additionally, I wish to highlight the trouble that exists. In Kurdistan, there are many Iranians who left the country and have gone to Turkey or Iraq, hoping to find a way to live in a safe place. In Iran, unfortunately, there is war with people every day.
Instead of providing refuge to agents of the regime who view Canada as a sanctuary, I urge Canada....
I am a victim of this judicial system of the Islamic Republic regime, having spent my formative years in prison based on a judiciary ruling. I urge you to include the revolutionary court judges of Iran. You have maybe heard about Toumaj Salehi. He protested peacefully against executions, so they have caused trouble for him.
The people of Iran possess the courage to fight for their rights. They do not expect foreign military intervention or interference in determining their fate; however, democratic nations like Canada can support Iran.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Thank you for your good address.
I would now like to welcome Dr. Hanieh Ziaei, political scientist, iranologist and Raoul-Dandurand Chair at the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Ms. Ziaei, you have the floor for five minutes.
4:25 p.m.
Political Scientist and Iranologist, Raoul-Dandurand Chair, UQAM, As an Individual
Mr. Chair, hon. members of the committee, I'm here today to testify about the alarming human rights situation in Iran. I'm here as a political scientist and researcher.
Things are really tough for researchers. Unfortunately, we can't do any work on the ground in Iran. Some of my colleagues have been approached by the Iranian government and have been the target of intimidation and threats. As you know, the Iranian parliament, the Majles, has made it clear that we aren't welcome in Iran to conduct research on the ground.
Today I will address several key points: attacks on freedom of expression and association; state censorship, which has been discussed; the death penalty; and representative cases of repression in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
First, freedom of expression is being severely curtailed. Citizens are free to express their opinions, but they aren't free to do so without fear of reprisals. As Iranian activist Kaveh Kermanshahi said, people in Iran have freedom of expression, but they don't have freedom after expression. Magazine and magazine offices have been closed [Technical difficulty—Editor]. Zanan magazine is one example. It was one of very few forums where women could express themselves, and Iranian authorities have silenced it [Technical difficulty—Editor].
Next, I'd like to talk about the censorship of artistic and cultural creation, which others have discussed. Art and culture in Iran is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Any cultural production must obtain authorization [Technical difficulty—Editor], which is often arbitrary. Political and religious topics and depictions of female sensuality are under close scrutiny. For example, the Maison du cinéma was closed in January 2012 on the grounds that it constituted a threat to national security and Islamic morals. Those two arguments are often used[Technical difficulty—Editor].
Now, let's talk about the ubiquitous death penalty, the supreme punishment. As you know, Iran ranks second in the world, after China, for number of executions. The death penalty is used for a variety of crimes, including non-violent crimes, such as espionage [Technical difficulty—Editor]—
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Excuse me, Ms. Ziaei, but I have to stop you, because we can't hear you very well. Just bear with us for a second, please.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Unfortunately, Ms. Ziaei, there's nothing we can do on our end to improve the connection. I think the problem is on your end. That's what our experts here are saying. Please continue, and we'll do our best to understand you.
4:30 p.m.
Political Scientist and Iranologist, Raoul-Dandurand Chair, UQAM, As an Individual
Okay.
I would like to tell you about Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights lawyer whose case is particularly poignant. In 2019, she was sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes for her human rights work against discriminatory laws forcing women to wear the hijab. In 2012, she received the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament [Technical difficulty—Editor].
Repression in Iran knows no bounds. Toomaj Salehi, a protest rapper, is a striking example of that. He was sentenced to death in April 2024 for “corruption on earth”. Toomaj was arrested, [Technical difficulty—Editor] then released on bail, only to be arrested again in 2022, tortured and imprisoned in isolation. His lyrics condemned social injustices—
4:30 p.m.
Political Scientist and Iranologist, Raoul-Dandurand Chair, UQAM, As an Individual
The death of Mahsa Zhina Amini in September 2022 after she was arrested by the morality police sparked a massive protest movement called Woman, Life, Freedom, which has been brutally repressed. In addition to the arrests—
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Ms. Ziaei, I'm sorry, but I have to stop you, because the interpretation isn't working and no one can understand you.
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.
What matters most to me is the safety of our interpreters, which is something we've heard a lot about recently. I don't think the quality of the connection is good enough right now to ensure the health and safety of the interpreters. I'd therefore like the clerk to ask the interpreters if they're able to do their job. If they are, great, but I'd be surprised. We also have to think about the people who are watching our meeting online.
Today's study is super important, but unfortunately technology is not on our side. We were the ones who invited Ms. Ziaei, and I really want to hear what she has to say, but I also want people to be able to hear her comments in English. A lot of people are watching our proceedings today because our study matters to a lot of people.
That's why I want to make sure that everything is being done properly. Otherwise, we'll have to postpone this appearance. I don't want us to miss any of the testimony, but things seem very complicated today, and we haven't even gotten to questions and answers yet. We have to make sure everything is done properly.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
How about if I asked Ms. Ziaei to start again? It's because it really wasn't clear.
May 21st, 2024 / 4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Do I have the floor?
I wonder if we could ask her to send a written submission of her....
That's a no. Okay.
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Chair, we really need to understand what the professor is saying, because we're about to move on to questions and answers. Most of my questions will be for her.
I understand where you're coming from. I'm not saying that she should stop her presentation, but I do want her to be able to continue it in a way that allows for interpretation. If you're telling me that interpretation can't happen, that's a problem.
Can we suspend for two seconds while we get this sorted out?
4:30 p.m.
Liberal