Persian community in B.C. calls for more pressure on Iranian government over human rights

Despite living in Canada for nearly two decades, Kei Esmaeilpourstill has a lot of friends and family living in Iran. Ongoing tensions between his home country and the United States havestoked fears for their safety.

On Wednesday,Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq,saying it was in retaliation for a Jan. 3 U.Sdrone strike, also in Iraq,that killedIranian commander Qassem Soleimani.

"My brother, my mother, my sister [are living in Iran],"saidEsmaeilpour, head of theCivic Association of Iranian Canadians. "Nobody likes war."

Like many Iranian-Canadians, Esmaeilpouris relieved now that tensions between the two countries seem to be de-escalating. Also onWednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump noted that Iran "appears to be backing down," while confirming that there were no American casualties in the Iranian missile strike.

Still,Esmaeilpoursaysthe country recently experienced widespread protests against rising gas pricesin whichhundreds of people were killed. With the U.S. now threatening further sanctions, he fears moreeconomic hardship could be on the way for its citizens.

'Iran's situation is not stable'

"Whatever happens in Iran, Iran's situation is not stable because the people have the right to live, have the right to have accommodation for their life and this is something the Iranian regime cannot provide for them,"Esmaeilpourtold CBC News.

"[The citizens]need education, they need health, they need to be able to use resources. If the Iranian government cannot provide that in the next month, in the next two months there will be another uprising," he said.

"Canada can push for human rights as it has done before," saidEsmaeilpour.

While not supporting the American-led assassination ofSoleimanioutright,Esmaeilpour notes the general led military forces responsible for the deaths of Iranian civilians.

Calls for more support

He's calling on the international community to take a stronger stand in favour ofhuman rights and democracy in Iran. It's a sentiment echoed by many in B.C.'s Persian community.

Fred Soofi, a B.C.-based restaurant owner and human rights advocate, says the large crowds mourning the general don't represent the overall sentiment of the Iranian people.

"Ninety per cent of the people, they don't believe in this government," said Soofi "They go to these events because their jobs depend on the government, they are forced to come to participate to show they're anti-U.S."

LiaFallah, a Vancouver-based human rights activist, said much of the Persian community in Vancouver still fears for the wellbeing of loved ones inside the Islamic republic.

"I don't think there's any of us who can go to bed or sleep at night and think about the stress of the next day," she said. "What's going to happen tomorrow? Who is going to die tomorrow?"