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Iranian Dissident Brutally Murdered in Toronto

October 23, 2020
IranWire
2 min read
Political activist Mehdi Amin was murdered Wednesday night at his home in Toronto
Political activist Mehdi Amin was murdered Wednesday night at his home in Toronto
Hamed Esmaeilion announced the murder of Mehdi Amin on Facebook, and then revealed that he had been receiving death threats
Hamed Esmaeilion announced the murder of Mehdi Amin on Facebook, and then revealed that he had been receiving death threats

Mehdi Amin, a political activist and a former board member of the Iranian-Canadian Congress, was assassinated on the night of Wednesday, October 21 at his residence in Toronto, Canada. A police report has not yet been released about his murder, although authorities have announced that they are looking for a black Honda car and have provided a license plate number to the local Canadian media.

Coinciding with the news of Amin's death was the revelation that Hamed Esmaeilion, who runs a group campaigning for justice for the victims of Ukrainian international Airlines Flight 752 and whose wife and nine-year-old daughter died in the tragedy, had recently received death threats. Esmaeilion is also based in Toronto.

"Mr. Mehdi Amin, a Toronto-based political activist, was unfortunately killed at his residence," Esmaeilion wrote on Facebook.

He added that the police had not identified why Amin had been targeted and that investigations were ongoing. “I did not intend to make the death threats public, but if traces of a foreign government are found in this assassination, then it becomes obvious that the foreign agents of the Islamic Republic are on the move once again.” Over the last four decades, the Islamic Republic has assassinated several dissidents and political opponents outside its territory.

Esmaeilion also said on Facebook that he was in contact with the police and had asked them to investigate the threatening messages he had received.

"I am writing this because many people were worried. I am not afraid of facing the killers of the Islamic Republic and there is no need to worry. There has been no report of this murder by the police. But on the advice of my lawyer, I have been in contact with the Toronto and federal police in recent weeks, and a comprehensive investigation into all the hateful messages, suspicious cars, strange calls and death threats is set to take place."

Among those killed over the years are Shapour Bakhtiar, the last prime minister under the Shah, Fereydoun Farrokhzad, a famous Iranian singer, poet, actor and TV and radio host who had left Iran for Germany in 1979, and Kazem Rajavi, the first Iranian ambassador to the UN's Office in Geneva and the brother of Masoud Rajavi, leader of the People's Mojahedin Organization (MEK).

For more information about the Islamic Republic’s assassinations abroad over the last four decades, read Diplomat Assassins: Who Does Iran Kill Abroad and Why? on IranWire.

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