Canada sanctions 10 individuals and entities over digital repression and human rights abuses
Canada imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials and five entities accused of supporting digital surveillance, censorship and other human rights abuses aimed at suppressing dissent.
OTTAWA, September 24, 2026 — Canada imposed additional sanctions on five Iranian individuals and five entities under the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations, targeting officials and organizations Ottawa says are involved in digital repression and serious human rights violations.
The measures target the Iranian Audiovisual Media Regulatory Authority, the Working Group for Determining Instances of Criminal Content, Douran Group, Yaftar Pazhohan Pishtaz Rayanesh Limited Company and the Seraj Cyberspace Organization.
Canada also sanctioned Davoud Moazami Goudarzi, head of Greater Tehran's Cyber Police; Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni; Supreme Council of Cyberspace member Rasoul Jalili; Mohsen Fathizadeh, head of the Protection and Intelligence Organization of the Law Enforcement Forces; and Ruhollah Momen Nasab, a member of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace.
Global Affairs Canada said the designated parties have contributed to efforts to suppress dissent through digital surveillance, censorship, unlawful violence, arbitrary detention and intimidation. The government also cited Iran's development and use of cyber infrastructure to monitor people expressing dissenting views.
The announcement coincided with the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada was using targeted sanctions in response to what the government describes as threats to international security and pervasive human rights violations.
Canada said the latest action brings its sanctions activity since October 2022 to 24 rounds, covering 237 Iranian individuals and 265 Iranian entities across several Canadian sanctions regimes.
The measures follow sanctions announced in August against five Iranian individuals over activities affecting navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz and a February package targeting seven individuals accused of involvement in destabilization activities and transnational repression.
Regulatory Actions
Structured data extracted from official sources and validated by sanctions experts