Mr. Speaker, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, dissent has been horrifically suppressed. There are 2,600 political prisoners in Iran who are deprived of any form of due process. They are suffering through inhumane conditions. They are raped, tortured and secretly executed.
The member for Mount Royal has started the Iranian political prisoner global efficacy project, and I am speaking on behalf of Hamid Ghassemi-Shall. Hamid is an Iranian Canadian from Toronto, who was arrested in Iran in 2008. His brother, Alborz, was arrested just two weeks before. Hamid was sentenced to death in a show trial, on falsified charges of espionage. In prison, Hamid and Alborz were physically and psychologically tortured and spent 18 months in solitary confinement. Alborz eventually died.
There is no greater threat to international peace and security than the Iranian regime. We must not forget the daily atrocities going on inside Iran. This week is Iran accountability week, but it cannot stop here. We must hold the violent, sadistic and brutal leaders of Iran accountable on every single day of the year and continue to advocate for the release of all political prisoners, like Hamid Ghassemi-Shall.