A Canadian citizen has died in Iran at the hands of Iranian authorities, Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on Thursday. She did not disclose details regarding the circumstances or timing of the death.
In a post on social media platform X, Anand said Canadian consular officials are in touch with the deceased’s family in Canada and expressed her condolences.
Linking the incident to Iran’s handling of public demonstrations, Anand said peaceful protests by Iranian citizens seeking to have their voices heard amid repression and continuing human rights violations have been met with a disregard for human life by the regime.
Calling for an end to the violence, she said Canada strongly condemns the actions of the Iranian authorities and urged an immediate halt to what she described as state-led violence against civilians.
“I have just learned that a Canadian citizen has died in Iran at the hands of the Iranian authorities. Our consular officials are in contact with the victim’s family in Canada and my deepest condolences are with them at this time,” Anand said in her post.
She added, “Peaceful protests by the Iranian people—asking that their voices be heard in the face of the Iranian regime’s repression and ongoing human rights violations—have led the regime to flagrantly disregard human life. This violence must end.”