Scholar tracks uptick in Iran threats on diaspora, others question deporting official

Protesters march in support of regime change in Iran during a demonstration in Toronto, on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

OTTAWA — A scholar researching transnational repression says he’s seeing an uptick in Iran’s regime threatening diaspora in Canada.

University of Ottawa professor Thomas Juneau said at the start of the U.S. war on Iran that Tehran tends to target dissidents abroad when it feels threatened.

He told the House subcommittee on international human rights that he is still conducting interviews, but Iranian-Canadians are already reporting an uptick in threats against themselves and their relatives inside Iran.

MPs are also hearing criticism about Canada’s decision to issue a visa to a regime official who is part of Iran’s soccer federation and then deport the official back to Tehran.

Mark Kersten, a University of the Fraser Valley professor specializing in international law, says Canada should have instead prosecuted the official, saying this would prevent Iran from sending human rights abusers to Canada.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office did not have an immediate response when asked for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press