Canada sanctions Iranians accused of violently repressing women and girls

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is pictured. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA -

The Canadian government is imposing new sanctions on two Iranians it accuses of participating in the violent repression of women and girls in Iran.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is making the announcement on International Women's Day.

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Joly says Iranian women and girls face an increasingly repressive environment where they risk injury or death for expressing themselves or demanding basic rights.

Canada has now laid sanctions against 155 individuals and 87 entities since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022.

Amini died in police custody after being arrested, purportedly for wearing her hijab incorrectly.

The chief executive of the capital city's transit system and a senior parliamentarian are both being added to the list for carrying out "increasingly repressive measures."

Masoud Dorosti, the Tehran metro executive, enforces the country's mandatory hijab law on public transit, Joly's office said in a statement.

Also facing sanction is Zohreh Elahian, a conservative politician who supports the death penalty for protesters involved in a movement called "Women, Life, Freedom."

"These two individuals have used their positions of influence to call for or carry out increasingly repressive measures against women and girls in Iran," Joly's office said.

Those on the sanctions list are barred from entering Canada and prohibited from doing any business with Canadians.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2024.