Following a major pressure campaign to have Samidoun listed as a terrorist entity, the Liberals moved to do just that on Tuesday
When the federal government added Samidoun to its list of terror entities, joining Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. and the Proud Boys, it could have wide-ranging implications for the group.
On Tuesday, the Liberals moved to do just that.
But what does it mean?
How is a group put on the list?
“Now I think what we’ve seen in practice over the last couple of years is an abridged version of this process, I’ll put it very politely, an abridged version in which there’s been political pressure,” said Davis. “What I think is probably happening there is more of a top down direction to the security and intelligence organizations to determine whether or not the organization meets the threshold for listing.”
What other groups are on the list?
There are several neo-Nazi organizations as well, including the Atomwaffen Division and Aryan Strikeforce.
There are also several governmental groups, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Taliban, which forms the government in Afghanistan.
The listed entities cover multiple continents. Ejército de Liberación Nacional, a Colombian guerrilla group, is listed, as is the Russian Imperial Movement, a monarchical organization.
What are the implications?
When the Canadian government listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity, it said such a listing would restrict the group’s financial activities in Canada.
Outside the realm of criminal charges and investigations, other countries can use Canada’s list to make determinations about, for example, whether to allow someone to cross an international border or a bank might consider whether it wanted to do business with a group that’s a listed terrorist entity in Canada, said Davis.
It could become difficult for Samidoun members to enter, say, the United Kingdom, because of such a designation.
“It won’t necessarily have a lot of restrictions on their current activities, but it does open up a few other avenues for potential charges,” said Davis.
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