Iranian prisoner sponsored by Quebec MNA released
The Iranian prisoner sponsored by Quebec MNA Ruba Ghazal has been released, it was learned Monday.
Bita Haghani, a young blogger arrested in October, had been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Ghazal shared a photo on social networks on Monday evening of the young woman surrounded by her family, with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, the Quebec Solidaire (QS) MNA for Mercier said it was difficult to know why the Iranian regime decided to pardon her.
"Is it because elected officials from foreign countries have sponsored prisoners that the prisoners are released? It is difficult to make a direct link, but what is certain is that the Iranian regime, this violent, totalitarian regime, feels the pressure when it sees that elected officials from the western world are mobilising to sponsor these prisoners," she said.
Ghazal sponsored Haghani in December, and the other 10 QS elected representatives sponsored Iranians last month.
The aim is to protect these people imprisoned by the Iranian regime following the wave of demonstrations that began last autumn by circulating their stories on social networks.
For the moment, they have no news of the other prisoners, but Ghazal hoped on Monday evening to have confirmation in the next few hours.
Iran's supreme leader on Sunday reportedly ordered an amnesty or reduction in prison sentences for "tens of thousands" of people detained in connection with the anti-government protests rocking the country, acknowledging for the first time the scale of the crackdown.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's decree, part of the pardons the supreme leader grants annually ahead of the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, comes as authorities have yet to specify the number of people detained in the protests.
A member of the Iranian diaspora, Sherazad Adib of Quebec, welcomed Haghani's release but warned against the impression the regime may give.
"It's 100 per cent propaganda. Basically, it's arresting people unjustly and then forgiving them," she said.
Adib, who has been protesting since the death of Mahsa Amini in September to support the second revolution, added that the sponsorship campaigns began in Europe.
"At first we thought it was going to be very symbolic, (but) I think it was more than symbolic," she said. "It's had a huge effect in getting their names out there and getting their stories out there and why these people were arrested and convicted: (18 years in prison) for blogging or protesting, it's just nonsense, it doesn't make sense."
Several other elected officials, including federal ones, have also announced sponsorships or are planning to do so.
In addition, the mobilization continues to denounce the Iranian regime, in place since Feb. 11, 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini established the Islamic Republic. Ali Khamenei succeeded him as head of the country when he died in 1989.
Demonstrations are planned in Quebec and around the world this Saturday, the same day as the anniversary.
Adib said violence is part of the regime's DNA. She mentioned accounts from prisoners about the situation in prisons, especially women, who were sexually assaulted.
In addition, Ghazal still wants to call on the federal government to consider the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, a request from various groups representing the Iranian diaspora.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 7, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.