Forouzandeh Vadiati issued a statement on Friday and strongly condemned the Canadian government’s imposition of so-called “human rights” sanctions on a number of Iranian citizens based on unfounded allegations. She described the move as an interventionist act stemming from the arrogant mindset of that Ottawa’s decision-makers.
Vadiati emphasized the lack of any legal or moral basis for Canada’s interventionist action, noting that Canada has no legitimacy to make human rights claims against Iran, adding that Canada is the heir to systematic suppression of Indigenous peoples’ human rights and has a long record of complicity with the genocidal Israeli regime in the killing of Palestinians and aggression against other countries in the region.
She also pointed to Canada’s unilateral severance of relations with Iran and the denial of consular services to Iranians residing in Canada, calling these policies a blatant violation of human rights.
Vadiati also stressed that Canada’s unilateral sanctions against Iran target the economic, social, and cultural rights of the Iranian people, and that the Canadian government must be held accountable for the negative consequences of its actions, which in some cases amount to crimes against humanity.
She said instead, Canadian officials need to focus on human rights violations within their own country, including the torture and mass killings of Indigenous children, and to cease actions that violate the rights of other nations, rather than engaging in political maneuvering and blame-shifting.
