MPs condemn alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Irwin Cotler

By Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press on November 18, 2024.

Irwin Cotler, former Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, speaks as he is recognized for his work at the Antisemitism: Face It, Fight It conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The House of Commons has condemned an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA – The House of Commons has condemned an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler.

MPs in the House unanimously supported a Bloc Québécois motion saluting Cotler’s human rights work and recognizing his political contributions, and condemning what it termed death threats orchestrated by agents of a foreign regime.

The Globe and Mail first reported that the RCMP warned Cotler on Oct. 26 of an imminent threat of assassination within 48 hours.

The newspaper says Cotler was later told the threat against him had been significantly lowered.

It says Cotler, a critic of the Iranian regime, has been under RCMP protection since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

The RCMP and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, which Cotler founded, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024.