Around 17 Iranian protesters lined the sidewalk outside the East Block on Parliament Hill on Saturday after authorities cracked down on anti-government protests that have swept the Middle Eastern nation for almost two weeks, killing dozens and arresting thousands more.
According to reporting by The Associated Press,
the Islamic Republic remained cut off from the world after authorities shut down phone lines and internet service.
The death toll, however, has continued to rise. The Associated Press reported that at least 72 people had been killed and more than 2,300 others had been detained as of 1:52 p.m. EST on Saturday, but it was difficult to independently verify reports as gauging demonstrations had become more difficult.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had signalled a coming clampdown, AP reported. Iran’s attorney general, Mohammad Movahedi Azad, warned that anyone taking part in the protests would be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.
In a statement on Friday evening, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada strongly condemned the killings in Iran and urged Iranian officials to allow freedom of expression and assembly in the nation.
“The reports of violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation tactics by the Iranian regime against its own people are profoundly concerning. Canada strongly condemns the killing of protesters, and urges Iran to allow for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal,” Carney wrote in a post on X.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand issued a joint statement with foreign ministers in Australia and the European Union on Friday, commending the Iranian protesters and also condemning the crackdown on protests by authorities.
“We commend the bravery of the Iranian people as they stand up for their dignity and their fundamental right to peaceful protest,” the statement read.
“We strongly condemn the killing of protestors, the use of violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation tactics by the Iranian regime against its own people. Iran must immediately end the use of excessive and lethal force by its security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij against protestors.
“The Iranian regime has the responsibility to protect its own population and must allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal.”
Sharam Golestaneh, director of the Iran Democratic Association in Canada and organizer of Saturday’s protest at Parliament Hill, said Iranians had been smuggling clips to organizations such as Amnesty International to document the protests.
Golestaneh said he appreciated the Canadian government’s response, but added more could be done to acknowledge the gravity of the situation within Iran.
“The regime is using all its tools to suppress people, to kill people, and they have done this before. It’s not enough to only say that the government should respect the right to peaceful protest. It’s past that,” he told reporters.
“People want to overthrow the regime by all means, and they want to have a secular democratic republic for the future of Iran where they will be able to, hopefully, do things as they wish.”
Golestaneh said he wanted the Canadian government to support the Iranian people by providing them with internet with whatever tools were available.
He said he also wanted Carney and Anand to recognize the right of the Iranian people to overthrow the Khamenei regime, as well as the sacrifices made to do so.
“There are things that can go a long way to support the Iranian people’s quest for freedom,” Golestaneh said. “We have to be the voice of the people in Iran who have no other way of providing their voice to the outside world. That’s why we are protesting.
“We are not here to say foreign governments should come or to impose a regime change. I believe that’s counterproductive. I believe the Iranian people have the courage and the bravery, and they will find their own leaders from inside the country. The future of Iran will be decided by the Iranian people.”
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