February 6, 2026 l By Dalena Reporters
OTTAWA, Canada — A deportation hearing for a suspected senior Iranian-government official living in Canada was held in private this week, after the man accused of having served in a high-ranking post for the Iranian regime requested that the proceedings be kept out of public view.
The hearing took place on Thursday before the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), which is deciding whether the man should be ordered out of Canada under longstanding federal policy that bars senior members of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government from residing in the country. Canadian officials say the policy, introduced in 2022, reflects concerns about human-rights abuses and repression linked to Tehran’s leadership.
Before the case began, the individual’s legal team successfully sought a closed-door proceeding meaning reporters and members of the public were barred from attending most of the hearing. In addition, the IRB has prohibited publication of the man’s name and all related documents from the case, and did not offer a public explanation for this restriction.
Global News reporters were briefly admitted only long enough to argue that the matter should be open to public scrutiny, a move supported by some activists and legal observers who say transparency is important when state-linked leaders face deportation in another country.
Canada’s Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has identified more than two dozen suspected Iranian regime members living in the country whom it says merit deportation proceedings, but only a small number have been publicly identified and only one has been removed so far, according to reporting on related cases.
Critics including human-rights advocates and some members of the Iranian-Canadian community have said they want greater transparency so the public can understand how Ottawa is handling accusations that officials linked to repression or violence in Iran are using Canada as a place of residence. Supporters of the policy say restricting access may be necessary at times for legal or privacy reasons, but there is ongoing debate about how deportation cases are processed and what should be public.
This hearing is part of a broader effort by Canadian authorities to enforce a ban on residence by senior members of the Iranian government, a policy rooted in concerns over Tehran’s record on human rights and political repression.