Families of Ukrainian Plane Victims Call for Expulsion of “Islamic Republic Agents” from Canada
Hundreds of Iranian-Canadians, including families of victims of the Ukrainian plane crash, gathered in front of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa demanding the country take a stronger stance against the Iranian government, including the expulsion of “agents affiliated with the Islamic Republic” from Canada.
The gathering took place on Tuesday on the occasion of the 1,000th day since the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 by missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. All 176 passengers on the plane were killed in the disaster, including 55 dual Iranian-Canadian citizens and 30 residents with permanent residency status in Canada.
Hamed Esmaeilion, spokesman for the Association of Families of Victims of the Ukrainian Plane, called in his remarks at the gathering for the expulsion of “agents affiliated with the Islamic Republic” and their families from Canada.
Maarel Gorginpour, whose husband, Farid Araaste, boarded the Ukrainian plane three days after their wedding and lost his life, said at the gathering: “I have lost my entire life, my entire future.”
She added: “I need justice to be done and I want to know the truth. I will not stop until I get it.”
Ms. Gorginpour was among the protesters who had gathered in front of the Supreme Court of Canada before the Parliament gathering.
At Tuesday’s gathering, Iranian-Canadians were joined by Canadian politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who called for greater action by the Canadian government against the Islamic Republic.
Ms. Freeland said without providing details that the Ottawa government would take further measures to punish Iran.
She added: “We will use all our tools to isolate and punish the brutal dictatorship in Iran.”
During the Deputy Prime Minister’s speech, attendees repeatedly called for the expulsion of “Islamic Republic agents” and their families from Canada.
When Mr. Poilievre spoke and said that the Justin Trudeau government had refrained from designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group, he was applauded by the audience.
The Conservative Party leader joined the Association of Families of Victims of the Ukrainian Plane last month and called on the International Criminal Court to begin investigations into these alleged “war crimes.”
He said at Tuesday’s gathering: “A thousand days of good words have passed, now we need action.”
One day before this gathering, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the families of Flight PS752 victims on Monday and wrote in a tweet that the Canadian government will continue its efforts until these families receive the justice, accountability, and response they deserve from the Iranian regime.
After Tuesday’s gathering, Mr. Esmaeilion told a group of Iranians that the Association of Families of Victims of the Ukrainian Plane will continue its civil and human rights efforts to hold the Islamic Republic accountable.
He rejected, however, any requests for political activism, particularly regarding leadership of the current protests in Iran, saying that as long as he is not present in Iran, he cannot call on Iranians inside the country, because “the only response from the system will be bullets and I cannot accept [moral] responsibility for that.”
Mr. Esmaeilion was one of the main coordinators of the extensive and numerous gatherings of Iranians abroad last Saturday and Sunday in more than 150 cities around the world.
Source: Radio Farda
