Canada to Impose Sanctions on Iran’s ‘Morality Police’ Amid Protest Clampdown

Members of the Iranian community and their supporters rally in solidarity with protesters in Iran, after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab, in Ottawa on Sept. 25, 2022. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press

Canada will impose sanctions on those involved in the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, including Iran’s so-called “morality police,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says.

Trudeau announced on Sept. 26 that his government will levy new sanctions on Iran following the death of 22-year-old Amini, and the state’s violent clampdown on protesters enraged by her demise.

“We’ve seen Iran disregarding human rights time and time again. Now we see it with the death of Mahsa Amini and the crackdown on protests,” he said.

“Today, I’m announcing that we will implement sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities, including Iran’s so-called morality police.”

Trudeau didn’t specify who would be sanctioned, but Global Affairs in an email statement said they will be able to “provide more details on these sanctions in due course.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is joined by Minister of National Defence Anita Anand and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure, and Communities Dominic LeBlanc as they hold a press conference in Ottawa on Sept. 26, 2022. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Amini died on Sept. 16 while in police custody in Tehran. She was arrested by the Guidance Patrol, the morality squad of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, allegedly for not wearing her hijab properly.

Soon after news of Amini’s death was broadcast and a photograph emerged on social media of her lying in a Tehran hospital in a coma, people throughout the country became enraged, demanding accountability for her death by Iranian security forces.

Iranian authorities had said Amini died of a heart attack, but according to the United Nations, the Kurdish woman collapsed after spending three days in custody, and died after being transferred to the hospital.

“Some reports suggested that Amini’s death was a result of alleged torture and ill-treatment,” the U.N. said in a press release on Sept. 22.

Protests in Iran have spread to at least 46 cities, towns, and villages to date, with protesters shouting slogans against compulsory hijab and denouncing the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei.

The clashes between protesters and the police have resulted in the deaths of at least 41 people since the demonstrations started on Sept. 17, Iranian state TV suggested.

An Associated Press count of official statements by authorities tallied at least 13 dead, with more than 1,400 demonstrators arrested.

U.N. experts said the peaceful protests have been met with “excessive use of force, including birdshot and other metal pellets by Iranian security forces.”

“Security forces have reportedly responded with live ammunition, pellet guns, and teargas,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, told reporters on Sept. 20.

Solidarity protests have also erupted across the world, including Europe, the United States, Canada, and parts of the Middle East, with some women cutting their hair and burning their hijabs.

Trudeau said Canada will stand in solidarity with the protesters.

“We join our voices, the voices of all Canadians, to the millions of people around the world, demanding that the Iranian government listen to their people, end their repression of freedoms and rights, and let women and all Iranians live their lives and express themselves peacefully.”

To date, Canada has imposed a range of sanctions on Iran, including arms embargo, asset freeze, export and import restrictions, and financial prohibitions.

The Associated Press and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.