Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I find it very difficult to try to use the time that I've been allotted to address the MEK in the context of a discussion on human rights. They are irrelevant to the contemporary struggle for human rights and democracy in Iran. They are basically an extremist cult backed by a lot

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  My statement speaks directly to your question. I'd just like to highlight what I think is the broad answer to your question. If we really want to help the people of Iran to advance human rights and democracy, we should listen to them. I think we should listen much more closely

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I have no problem with that. I'm not sure that's the biggest priority we should be pursuing. If it can in some way advance the struggle for human rights and democracy in Iran, I'm all in favour of it. My own gut reaction to that suggestion is that there are other initiatives we

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I've seen that document before. I don't recall the specific names, but I'm strongly in favour of using the Magnitsky Act to identify, punish and penalize human rights offenders. That's something most human rights defenders in Iran would actually welcome. To the extent that Canada

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  By being patient with the regime, I didn't mean that we should take the spotlight off of the Islamic Republic. I meant being patient with respect to the struggle for advancing human rights and democracy in Iran. That is a long-term struggle and has to be won in phases. I'm all in

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you.

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you very much for the invitation. I'm sorry I can't be with you in person, because I normally relish the opportunity at this moment to leave Donald Trump's America to travel to some of the more civilized parts of the planet, but we're at the end of the academic quarter here