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List Iran's Revolutionary Guard as Terrorists
(National Post-Canada) Irwin Cotler - Iran's Supreme Court has now confirmed the death sentence of Iranian-born web programmer Saeed Malekpour, a Canadian permanent resident. Malekpour was convicted of "crimes against Islam" after being arrested in 2008 while visiting his ailing father in Iran. Iran has been on an execution binge. Amnesty International reported that 600 people were put to death in Jan.-Nov. 2011. The international community spoke out against his death sentence when it was first handed down, and Iran moved to suspend it. However, the death sentence was reinstated under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has emerged as the epicenter of Iran's threat to human rights, peace and international security. The IRGC plays a central role in Iran's domestic repression, international terrorism, incitement to genocide, and nuclear proliferation. This case should serve as a wake-up call that Canada needs to sanction the IRGC and list it as a terrorist entity. The U.S. has already labeled it as a terrorist group, while the UN and EU have imposed various sanctions against the IRGC and its leaders. The writer is former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.