Canada announced on Monday that it had barred senior Iranian government officials from entering Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency made the announcement in support of Iranians protesting across Iran, according to a press release.

Canadian Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino announced Monday that Canada has designated Iran as a regime that has engaged in terrorism and systematic and gross human rights abuses, the statement said.

“This means that tens of thousands of high-ranking members of the Iranian regime, including many members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are now inadmissible to Canada,” the statement said.

Now entering a third month of protests, Iranians took to the streets after the death of Mahsa Amini, calling for social and political change despite brutal government crackdowns and arrests.

Canadian officials have clarified that senior Iranian officials barred from entering the North American country include members of the Iranian cabinet, high-ranking diplomats, ambassadors, senior military and intelligence officials, members of the judiciary, heads of state and senior officials, according to the communication.

“Perpetrators of gross and systematic human rights abuses are not welcome in this country,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser said in the statement.

The new rule applies to people who were senior officials “at any time beginning November 15, 2019,” the agency said.

Additionally, current and former senior Iranian officials already in Canada could face investigation and also be expelled from the country, the statement said.

“As the people of Iran continue to pressure their government and hold it accountable, the Canadian government is taking action to prevent senior Iranian regime officials from finding refuge in Canada,” the statement said.

“As the Iranian people continue to rise up and demand their rights, Canada stands with them. The Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on these protests – killings, beatings and arrests of protesters – once again clearly shows its blatant disregard for human rights.”

Canada went even further by sanctioning Iranian citizens under Canada’s Special Economic Measures Act, which punishes individuals for serious human rights abuses, rendering them “inadmissible to Canada”, according to the communicated.

The law allows Canada to take economic action against “certain persons in circumstances where an international organization of states or an association of states of which Canada is a member requires its members to do so, a serious breach of the peace and to security has occurred, serious and systematic violations of human rights have been committed in a foreign State, or significant acts of corruption have been committed involving a national of a foreign State”, according to the law on special economic measures.

Canada has also sanctioned 52 Iranians since late September, when protests erupted in Iran.

“Canada will continue to work in unison with its partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe, and will use all diplomatic tools at its disposal to respond to the Iranian regime’s aggression, whether whether in Iran or abroad.” .