CANADA PROTESTS IRAN ELECTION IRREGULARITIES AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000501 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CAN, WHA/PD, AND NEA/IR E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM IR CA SUBJECT: CANADA PROTESTS IRAN ELECTION IRREGULARITIES AND VIOLENCE REF: A. 03 OTTAWA 2109 ¶B. TORONTO 93 Classified By: A/PolCouns Kurt van der Walde, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Across Canada government officials and the public continue to express condemnation for the Iranian regime's use of violence against dissent following the disputed June 12 presidential election. A day after President Obama rescinded July Fourth invitations to Iranian officials, Canada followed suit. Canadian officials remain seized with the case of a detained Canadian-Iranian Newsweek journalist. Crowds in the thousands around the country have come together nightly to show solidarity with Iranian reformers. End Summary. -------------- Government Uses Strong Words... -------------- ¶2. (U) On June 25, Prime Minister Stephen Harper disinvited the Iranian charge d'affaires in Ottawa from attending Canada Day festivities. The move is the latest in a series of official protests and public demonstrations against election irregularities and subsequent violence in Tehran following the disputed June 12 Iranian presidential election. On June 21 Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon lauded the "millions of Iranian citizens" who had taken to the streets for non-violent protest. He harshly criticized the government's attempts "to silence the voices of its own people through brutality." ¶3. (U) On June 22, the Prime Minister called the Iranian government's actions "wholly unacceptable" and condemned its decision to "use brute force and intimidation" to respond to peaceful protests. Harper questioned the validity of the June 12 poll, saying the protesters raised "legitimate and serious allegations of electoral fraud." Earlier, on June 17 the Canadian Parliament passed a unanimous motion of solidarity and support for the "democratic aspirations of the Iranian people." -------------- ...But Keeps Its Embassy Gates Closed -------------- ¶4. (C) Despite the strong words from Harper and Cannon, the Canadian Embassy in Tehran on June 12 and 13 turned away protesters seeking refugee in the mission, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) consular affairs contacts. Liberal Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff joined in the condemnation of the Islamic government on June 20, but he also criticized the Harper government for denying refuge to protesters. He urged Canada to keep "our embassy open for the humanitarian needs of the people of Iran." DFAIT Iran Deputy Director Jeff McLaren told acting Pol/C on June 24 that Canada made the decision to deprive the regime of a pretext to claim foreign interference in domestic affairs. Recalling the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979, he added that Canada was also not willing to expose its staff to a similar possibility by allowing its mission to become a refuge for protesters. ¶5. (C) DFAIT officials also continue to express concern for the fate of Canadian-Iranian Newsweek correspondent Maziar Bahari whom the authorities detained on June 21. Given the death in custody of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahira Kazemi in 2003 (ref a),Canadian officials say they are urgently seeking information on Bahari's welfare and confirmation of which agency is detaining him. In another unwelcome link with the Kazemi case, Foreign Minister Cannon expressed his concern on June 25 over reports of the involvement of Saaed Mortazavi in the regime's on-going investigation of detained reform leaders and party officials. Qinvestigation of detained reform leaders and party officials. Cannon noted that Mortazavi ordered the illegal arrest and detention of Kazemi and said the judge has "clearly demonstrated his disregard for human rights and fundamental freedoms." -------------- Public Demonstrations of Solidarity Continue -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In Toronto, the Iranian Diaspora began its first major demonstration on June 14 with approximately 2,000 in attendance. Protesters held "Where is my vote?" placards as they listened to speeches. Since then smaller protests have continued throughout areas of Greater Toronto with large Iranian populations, such as North York, Thornhill, and Richmond Hill. Consulate officers report that Torontonian OTTAWA 00000501 002 OF 002 outrage is not limited to street protests. Many Toronto area Canadian-Iranians have shown their support for Iranian reformers by changing their on-line profile pictures to those of slain protesters. Others are using Facebook to link to surreptitiously recorded videos of the street protests in Iran. ¶7. (SBU) About 1,000 people demonstrated in downtown Montreal on June 21. Largely drawn from Montreal's 15,000-strong Iranian community, they walked peacefully through downtown chanting "solidarity" and carrying pictures of bloodied Iranian protesters. Daily demonstrations began there on June 17 with a candlelight vigil honoring the first protesters killed in Iran. ¶8. (SBU) The Montreal demonstrators appeared to be a loosely organized group of older protesters, many of whom presumably fled Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Younger Canadian-Iranians and foreign students studying in Montreal also participated, according to consulate officers who observed the march. Many of the younger crowd wore green armbands in support of electoral challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi. ¶9. (SBU) Canadian union members and human rights activists demonstrated in front of the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa on June 26 as part of the labor movement's "global day of action" in support of workers in Iran. NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar and Amnesty International-Canada Secretary General Alex Neve called for the Iranian government to free all arrested workers, students, and political prisoners. -------------- Vancouver's "Silent Scream" -------------- ¶10. (C) In Vancouver crowds in the thousands joined a nightly vigil, dubbed by its organizers the "Silent Scream for Iran," in solidarity with the Tehran protesters. Young Canadian-Iranians in Vancouver organized the nightly vigil, which began on June 16, via blogs and emails, according to consulate contact Max Zahedi, a Canadian-Iranian newspaper columnist and announced Liberal candidate for Parliament. Zahedi claimed the protests have drawn as many as 6,000, but local newspapers estimate turn out peaked at around 3,000. Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff spoke to the largest crowd on June 25, the last evening of the ten nightly vigils held outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. Liberal MP and Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae and Liberal MP Hedy Fry also addressed the crowds on previous evenings. ¶11. (C) Zahedi told a consulate officer that many in the community are upset that the Canadian Embassy in Tehran shut its doors during the demonstrations. He contrasted this position unfavorably with other embassies that reportedly accepted wounded during the crackdown. Vancouver protesters waved flags incorporating the flags of Canada and Iran (minus the Islamic symbol) and the color green, which represents democracy in Iran. Zahedi clarified that Vancouver's Iranian expats are focused on supporting democracy, not the quarrels of the old versus new regime. For this reason, he continued, they eliminated any symbols from their hybrid flag that might be linked to either regime. ¶12. (C) Unlike in Montreal, older Canadian-Iranians in Vancouver tend to support the regime in Tehran, according to consulate contacts in the local Persian language media. Vancouver's Iranian language press is covering the crisis with a strong pro-democracy bent, however. Even the more conservative local paper had a front page in its on-line edition with a picture of a protester holding up a green cloth. Visit Canada,s North American partnership community at QVisit Canada,s North American partnership community at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / BREESE