NDP motion on justice for Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi passes unanimously

OTTAWA—On Monday, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson’s (Edmonton Strathcona) motion to condemn the death sentence of Iranian musician Toomaj Salehi and urge Canada to impose targeted sanctions on members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Courts was unanimously adopted by all parliamentarians.

The motion comes after Toomaj was sentenced to death in Iran for the songs he wrote in solidarity with the Woman, Life Freedom movement.

“Today is a victory for Toomaj Salehi and the millions of people around the world who love him, and an acknowledgement of the courage of so many Iranians who advocate for human rights and democracy through the Woman, Life, Freedom movement,” said McPherson. “I am grateful for the work of the many Iranian-Canadians, including the Iranian Justice Collective, who are bravely speaking out about human rights abuses in Iran despite reported threats to their safety and the safety of their loved ones in Iran.”

McPherson’s unanimous consent motion asks the government to sanction individuals on the new Targeting Oppressive Officers to Mitigate Abuse in the Iranian Judiciary (TOOMAJ) list of 31 judges and prosecutors of the Revolutionary Courts responsible for human rights violations. This list was compiled by the Iranian Justice Collective—a group in the Iranian diaspora who came together following the rise of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement—in collaboration with international lawyers and human rights advocates.

McPherson’s motion also condemns gender apartheid, violations of civil liberties, killings, intimidation, and acts of violence initiated by the Islamic Republic against the people of Iran; and reiterates Canada’s unconditional support for Iranians advocating for human rights and democracy as part of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

“I am urging the government to take this list seriously and sanction the thirty-one individuals named in it,” said McPherson. “We need action and justice now, to both honour and protect Toomaj, and to send a clear signal that Canada will keep fighting for democracy and human rights around the world, including in Iran.”