Global
How Canada should respond to the Iranian protests
By Sheryl Saperia January 4, 2018
Sheryl Saperia lays out what Canada should do in light of recent anti-government protests in Iran and the 'ruthless' response offered by the Iranian regime.
Protests in Kermanshah, Iran on Dec. 29, 2017. Voice of America photograph
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians are protesting in cities across the country. At the time of writing, Iranian security forces have killed at least 21 protesters, and hundreds have been arrested. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has now been deployed, which is bad news for the dissidents. The IRGC’s role is to “safeguard the revolution and its achievements,” which essentially authorizes this unconventional army to interpret any opposition to the regime as a counterrevolutionary act deserving of a violent response. The Guards are responsible for some of the most deplorable abuses against the Iranian people, which the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Iran reports on year after year.
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