Mahdi Nasiri informed the world that he was in Canada in April.
The former Iranian official published a series of farewell photos-in this hug farewell-Instagram for over 250,000 followers and all others.
He has been in Canada since then.
But now, according to the source, his name was reported to RCMP. Canadian security authorities are in the face of public opinion conversations in order to examine why he was allowed to enter primarily – and whether he should be thrown out.
“To see that he can easily come to Canada and actually celebrate it, and publish photos from the airport with information” I arrived “, establishes alarm bells among many Iranians,” said the lawyer and activist for Human Rights Kaveh Shahrooz.
Nasiri was described as an important hardliner in Iran in 2000. He did not deny the previous roles of CBC News, but also said that he was critical of the Iran regime for the last six years, and now he supports the liberal opposition leader of this country.
The Trudeau government promised in 2022 to part and former older officials of the Iranian regime living in Canada after growing public problems and security. Iranian Canadians reported harassmentintimidation and supervision, which they believed, was associated with Tehran. The Canadian spy agency verified the threats of death from Iran were true. AND The indictment of the US The Iranian conspiracy kidnaps Canadians.
Canadians of Iranian origin are worried members, and associated entities from the Islamic Republic of Iran can still come to Canada when pressure on the regime. They say that Canadian officials do not work quickly enough to stop it, and some take matters into their own hands.
In response, the government determined the leadership of the government, security and intelligence of Iran as unacceptable to Canada in 2022 for alleged commitment to terrorism and systemic and gross violations of human rights. This designation expanded last year to prohibit each of the Canada who served as a senior official in the Iran government at any time from June 2003.
But Nasiri is the latest case in which questions are born about how effective Canada's repression is. Until now, only one senior Iranian official has been removed from the country.
The role of Nasiri in 2000
Nasiri is well known for his role managing director of the most conservative Iranian newspaper Kayhan in the 1990s – financed by the highest leader of Iran.
“He was very visible in state media, which is often a platform that the regime himself used after dissidents, creating allegations against people who are open,” said Shahrooz, who is critical of the regime.
Nasiri was then appointed to the key role of the Deputy Political Political Council of Friday Imams in the whole country in the years 2001–2005.
“Friday prayers are the main platform, which Iran transfers to fans with their conversations and propaganda, and is a work entrusted to people closely related to the regime,” said Shahrooz.
“The fact that he had this role shows me that he was part of this regime.”
According to media reports, Nasiri was appointed senior representative of the Supreme Leader Ali Chamenei in the United Arab Emirates until 2009.
The Canadian Border Services agency (CBSA) claims that generally older Iranian officials who have served since 2003 are inadmissible to Canada. But he will not say if he is looking at Nasiri.
Nasiri defended himself when he contacted CBC News about comment.
“I have repeatedly explained my professional origin in media interviews and openly criticized this period,” said Nasiri in a written statement. “There is nothing hidden in my past.”
“In addition, I have never taken any military position, security or interview. My role in Kayhan's newspaper was journalistic, and my position in the Friday Imms organization was religious and devotion.”
Nasiri would not confirm whether his last work with the Iran government was in the United Arab Emirates when CBC News was asked.
Visa for visitors issued in 2023.
Nasiri said it took him only a few days in 2023 – before the ban was expanded – to get a visa of a guest to a passport from the Canadian consulate in Istanbul. He said his son was a Canadian citizen who invited him and his mother to visit.
Visitors can be valid for up to 10 years.
Asked if he revealed his time with the Iranian government to Canadian officials, Nasiri said he didn't have to.
“Over the past 10 years, I was only asked about my actions during which I did not occupy any government positions,” said Nasiri.
CBC News asked immigration, refugees and Citizen's citizenship, why Nasiri allegedly did not ask about his previous professional experience.
The department said that he could not comment on specific matters, but said that visa candidates were “carefully assessed.”
“Older officials subject to the designation of the regime could cancel a visa, lose the status of a temporary or permanent place of residence and be removed from Canada,” said IRCC spokesman Jeffrey Macdonald.
Kelly Sundberg, a professor of criminology at the Mount Royal University, who specializes in the security of borders, claims that it is not surprising that Nasiri did not ask any more questions.
He says that Canadian research, immigration and enforcement are “at the time of crisis.”
Sounding about the system, Sundberg said: “CBSA and federal departments were aware of this neglect and often deliberately closed their eyes.”
Nasiri said that “he would prefer not to answer” if they stood before the immigration trial, but confirmed that he was not aware of any investigation into his visa.
Calls for examination
Nasiri told CBC News that he understands that Iranian Canadians are concerned about the current and former regime officials in Canada. He said “they are justified by their fears” and called the Islamic Republic of Iran's “dictatorial and repressive regime.”
“However, for six years I was an active critic and indeed an opponent of the Islamic Republic,” said Nasiri in his statement for CBC News.
He said that he now had a “liberal attitude” and supports the leader of the Iranian opposition Reza Pahlavi, a supporter of liberal democracy and a member of the dynasty who ruled the country before the revolution in 1979.
Nasiri has an active YouTube side, on which he often publishes his critical interviews towards the regime, including on the BBC.
CSIS recently confirmed that there are many “reliable” threats to Iran's death addressed to people in Canada. The main correspondent of CBC News, Adrienne Arsenault, meets several Iranians who describe their experiences related to monitoring and intimidation on Canadian land.
The Iranian analyst and journalist Babak Taghvae says that he wants Canadian security officials to look at Nasiri because of what he calls “red flags”.
Taghvae has published an article from the American Think-Tank Forum in the Middle East about how the Iranian regime officials allegedly pass as opponents of the regime to stay in Canada-I named Nasiri as an example.
He said that Nasiri was once one of the “most important hardliners” in Iran.
Taghvae says that his role of the editor in Kayhan suggests that he could have had the highest level of check -in from Iranian intelligence and cooperated and even cooperated with them. He also said that his role with Friday's prayer images was important because it is known that they were receiving directives from the regime.
“They receive the order to talk about specific topics during Friday's prayer,” he said. “On politics, about military security and economies and all related to what the regime wants to psychological war and propaganda.”
Taghvae says that there were members of the Iranian regime who are trying to settle in Western countries, usually criticize the regime and a party with opposition parties to create evidence for the future refugee or asylum.
“Sometimes these people are afraid to deport or arrest. They go into survival mode,” said Taghvae, who was critical of the regime.
Nasiri says that he did not submit a refugee status and hopes to return to Iran soon, but he did not say when.
Regardless of his position, public lawyer Vancouver Mojdeh Shahriair notes that the existing Canadian law should prevent older Iranian officials, such as Nasiri before entering the country.
“If it has really changed, there is no judgment for me and it does not really apply to the law,” said Shahriari.
“It's almost laughter”
CBSA claims that since 2022, over 130 suspicious visas of Iranian regime officials have been canceled, 20 people were reported, and three cases were carried out by immigration hearings, which caused letters to be deported.
“Unfortunately, he is almost funny,” said Shahriari.
Shahriari is a former member of the Canadian immigration and refugee council, and now he runs grassroots groups, which, he claims, is investigating over 375 suspicious members of the Iranian regime, their families and companies in the Canadian land.
He says that the numbers of CBS are “small” compared to Shahriari evidence provided to the Canadian authorities about 100 suspicious Iranian officials in Canada.
He will not say if Nasiri is one of them, citing confidentiality.
“The question is: how, in the hell, these people got a visa to come to Canada above all?” She said.