Iran's former deputy interior minister fighting deportation from Canada over rights concerns
Seyed Salman Samani, a former Iranian government official, filed a Federal Court application to halt his deportation, claiming it would violate his rights.
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A former high-ranking Iranian regime official caught living in Canada has asked a federal judge to halt his deportation, according to documents obtained by reporters.
Seyed Salman Samani, who was until recently Iran's deputy interior minister, claimed in an appeal to the Federal Court that expelling him would violate his rights. In a court application filed in Toronto, Samani said that on June 19, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada denied his request to defer his removal back to Iran.
Calling the decision "unlawfully made" and "patently unreasonable," the 45-year-old former Iranian government spokesperson asked the court to overturn the ruling. At the same time, he filed an "anonymity order notice" in which he urged the court to scrub his name from all documents related to his appeal, citing the "high-profile nature" of his case.
Samani is one of almost three dozen alleged senior members of Iran's repressive regime who have been found in Canada, according to figures released by federal immigration officials. The Immigration and Refugee Board ordered his deportation more than two years ago, but his court appeal, filed on Canada Day, shows he has still not been sent home.
Samani is a "career politician" who held a "plethora" of government positions in Iran between 2007 and 2021, according to the Canada Border Services Agency's report on him. As the Ministry of Interior's official spokesperson, he "served as a conduit for state propaganda, responsible for disseminating information that aligned with the government narrative and suppressing any dissenting views." His department sent agents to attack political protests and was responsible for "frequent violations of speech and assembly rights in Iran."
After leaving the Iranian government in August 2021, Samani flew to Canada using a visitor visa issued in Ankara, Turkey. In 2024, he became one of the first Iranian regime members brought before the Refugee Board for a deportation hearing under a federal ban on senior officials.
Of the 34 suspected regime members that the Canada Border Services Agency has identified for possible deportation, only one has been sent back to Iran to date. The CBSA declined to comment on Samani's case.
By the numbers
When did Canada deny Seyed Salman Samani's request to defer his removal?
On June 19, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada denied Seyed Salman Samani's request to defer his removal to Iran.
How many alleged senior Iranian regime members have been found in Canada?
Almost three dozen alleged senior members of Iran's repressive regime have been found in Canada, according to figures released by federal immigration officials.
When did the Immigration and Refugee Board order Samani's deportation?
The Immigration and Refugee Board ordered Seyed Salman Samani's deportation more than two years ago, meaning before July 16, 2024.
How many of the suspected Iranian regime members identified by Canada have actually been deported?
Of the 34 suspected regime members that the Canada Border Services Agency has identified for possible deportation, only one has been sent back to Iran to date.
