Restore internet and expand sanctions

AI summary

Petitioners ask Canada to demand immediate restoration of internet in Iran, condemn lethal repression, free political prisoners and impose expanded targeted sanctions and multilateral accountability. The government responds it has condemned abuses and imposed sanctions.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled In January 2026, widespread human rights protests in Iran were met with state violence including arrests, torture, enforced disappearances and killings of 30,000+ civilians. The Iranian regime simultaneously shutdown internet and telecommunications, stifling witnesses, victims; preventing access for Iranians to reliable information and communication abroad. Behind the war on Iran by Israel and the US, Iran’s regime continues its abuses and shutdown of internet and telecommunications, preventing citizens from receiving evacuation warnings prior to military strikes, causing further deaths - which neglect may constitute war crimes. Many thousands of Iranian-Canadians experience psychological harm due to lack of communication with relatives and concern for their lives. Canada has consistently supported human rights and accountability under international principles of the Right to Protect (R2P) to oppose crimes against humanity, support accountability, and protect civilian populations. We, the undersigned, Citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to : 1. Publicly condemn the Islamic regime’s ongoing human rights violations using state violence and shutdown of digital and telecommunications. 2. Demand the immediate restoration of internet access and telecommunications to ensure governmental transparency and civilian safety; the cessation of lethal force against Iranian dissidents and release of all political prisoners and detainees. 3. Publicly support the Iranian people’s right to determine their own political future, free from violence and repression. 4. Expand targeted sanctions, enforce accountability measures against those responsible for human rights abuses. 5. Pursue the above actions with international partners supporting R2P.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Signed by Parliamentary Secretary Rob Oliphant The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for raising concerns regarding ongoing human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Canada publicly condemns the Iranian regime’s excessive and unlawful use of force against its own people, including arbitrary detention, torture, executions, and severe restrictions on access to information. Canada has consistently and unequivocally condemned violence against protesters and all forms of repression of human rights in Iran, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and freedom of association. For the last 23 consecutive years, Canada has led a United Nations General Assembly resolution on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which condemns the regime’s serious and ongoing violations, urges improvement, and calls on Iranian authorities to cooperate with human rights mechanisms. On December 18, 2025, this resolution was adopted with 78 votes in favour at the General Assembly. Canada will lead on the resolution once again in 2026. In response to the recent actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran regime against its own citizens, the Government of Canada: Led a joint statement condemning the Iranian regime’s crackdown on protests, alongside Australia and the European Union on January 9, 2026; Participated in the Group of Seven statement condemning Iran’s latest wave of brutal suppression and urging Iran to respect its human rights obligations on January 14, 2026; Cosponsored a statement by the Freedom Online Coalition on February 4, 2026, condemning the Iranian authorities’ repression of protesters, internet shutdowns, and other measures aimed at silencing dissent, and calling for respect for human rights both online and offline; Issued multiple statements unequivocally opposing the death penalty, arbitrary arrests and detentions, forced confessions, unfair trials and discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in Iran. Issued a joint statement on Iranian state threats and HAYI-claimed attacks with 21 other nations on June 10, 2026, condemning Iran’s lethal plotting and other malign actions in Europe, North American and Australia, including attacks targeting Jewish communities, Iranian journalists, and US interests. Canada supports an open, global, interoperable, and reliable Internet, and promotes a safe, secure, and enabling online environment for all. Canada has committed, through the United Nations Global Digital Compact, to advancing universal and meaningful connectivity, recognizing that access to the Internet is essential for the full enjoyment of human rights and inclusive participation both online and offline. In this context, Canada opposes Iran’s use of internet shutdowns and other measures that intentionally disrupt access to communications services, including during periods of unrest. The Government of Canada also continues to hold perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses accountable. To this end, Canada is supporting international partners to pursue independent investigations and accountability through multilateral mechanisms, including through the efforts of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and relevant independent investigative mechanisms, including the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the United Nations Human Rights Council on January 23, 2026, Canada intervened to condemn Iran’s entrenched impunity and violent repression of legitimate and peaceful demonstrations. Canada also engaged constructively in support of the Special Session’s associated resolution, which mandated the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to specifically document and preserve evidence of Iran’s violent response to these protests to support future accountability processes. On March 16, 2026, Canada delivered a joint intervention with Australia and New Zealand at the Human Rights Council condemning Iran’s violent response to protests, demanding accountability, and reaffirming the need for sustained international scrutiny. Canada supports the Session’s associated resolution mandating the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Iran to specifically document and preserve evidence of Iran’s violent response to these protests to support accountability. In addition to actions taken internationally, Canada continues to leverage domestic legal and policy tools to impose consequences on Iranian individuals and entities responsible for nuclear and weapons proliferation activities, gross and systemic human rights violations, and regional and global destabilizing activities. Since July 22, 2010, Canada has imposed sanctions on nearly 500 Iranian individuals and entities across all levels of Iran’s security, intelligence, and economic apparatus pursuant to theSpecial Economic Measures Actand the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law). On December 15, 2025, Canada sanctioned four additional senior Iranian officials for their direct roles in implementing repressive policies to violently suppress protests and/or for serious violations of the rights of prisoners, including arbitrarily detained protesters and political opponents. On February 14, 2026, Canada announced new measures on seven individuals linked to Iranian state bodies responsible for intimidation, violence and transnational repression targeting Iranian dissidents and human rights defenders. On March 26, 2026, Canada announced additional sanctions under the (Iran) Regulations (Iran regulations) against five individuals and four entities for their direct or indirect involvement in procurement networks that produce and supply technology supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ weapon production and transfers to proxies, including to Russia for its use in its war of aggression against Ukraine. These measures build on Canada’s broader efforts to maintain pressure on Iran, including: Listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Codeon June 19, 2024. Canada has also listed the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations under theCriminal Code; Designating the Government of Iran as a regime engaged in terrorism and systematic or gross human rights violations under theImmigration and Refugee Protection Act, rendering any senior official who served since June 23, 2003, inadmissible to Canada; Designating Iran as a state supporter of terrorism under the State Immunity Act. The Government of Canada reconfirmed this designation on December 4, 2025. Canada does not support any opposition figure in Iran, and it stands with the Iranian people in their long and courageous struggle against the regime’s oppressive rule. The future of Iran must be decided by the Iranian people, and the Government calls on Iranian leadership to listen to the voices of its people.