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News Alerts & Updates
Hamid still needs your help
May 14, 2013
Source: Beach Metro Community News
Jon Muldoon
On Monday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m., Hamid's wife Antonella Mega, the Beaches chapter of Amnesty International, and Iran Action Circle are organizing an event at St. John Norway church, to raise awareness of Ghassemi-Shall’s situation. Marina Nemat, author of Prisoner of Tehran, will speak at the event. Nemat was imprisoned in Evin prison in 1982, the same prison where Ghassemi-Shall is being held.
>> read the article
Will Hamid see Antonella again?
January 31, 2013
Source: EMAJ Magazine
Yusur Al-Bahrani
Antonella is still living with Hamid despite the oceans that separate them and the prison walls that makes it impossible for them to see each other. In her mind though she still sees him all the time "When I hear his voice I feel everything is normal, just for a minute. For a few seconds, it feels normal again, like he is here and I am there, and everything is fine," Antonella said.
>> read the article
Wife worries for fate of Canadian on death row in Iran
September 10, 2012
Source: CTV News
Canada AM’s Beverley Thomson interviews Antonella Mega
Antontella spoke with husband Hamid last week and says his spirits were pretty low as there had been some pardons in Iran, a positive thing, however he was not on the list. She hopes that Hamid will be pardoned soon. However Mega is extremely worried about how things will play out now communications are closed with Iran.
>> read the article
Ending diplomatic ties with Iran
September 10, 2012
Source: CBC Radio
The Current with Anna Maria
Canada's door to diplomacy with Iran has been slammed shut. What is less clear are the implications and what may have triggered this action by the Canadian government at this time. Today we speak with the last Canadian Ambassador to Iran and the wife of an Iranian-Canadian on death row in Tehran.
>> listen to the audio
Nothing Iran does in wake of severed ties would surprise him: Harper
September 9, 2012
Source: The Globe and Mail
Mark MacKinnon
Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his government will continue to try and help two Canadian citizens currently on death row in Iran, going through allies now that the Canadian Embassy in Tehran is shuttered.
>> view the story
Iran threatens retaliation after Ottawa cuts ties
September 8, 2012
Source: CTV News
Roger Smith
Antonella Mega was counting on diplomatic dialogue with Iran to free her husband. But Iran has threatened retaliation. What does this mean for her husband Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a Canadian-Iranian prisoner of conscience languishing in Iran's Evin Prison?
>> view the story
Canada closes its embassy in Iran
September 8, 2012
Source: Al Jazeera
Canada has closed its embassy in Iran and will expel all remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada within five days. In light of this, Antonella Mega says "This closing of the relationship between Canada and Iran leaves me doubtful. I just don't know how they're going to help Hamid; of what their plans are...The Iranian government is in charge of Hamid's case, so I do depend on their kindness ... but obviously I count on the Canadian government to advocate for him".
>> read the article
Jailed Canadian in Iran
September 7, 2012
Source: CBC News
Power & Politics with Evan Solomon
Antonella Mega, wife of jailed Canadian Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, fears for the fate of her husband after Canada's decision to cut diplomatic ties with Iran
>> view the story
Fears heightened for Canadians in Iranian prison
September 7, 2012
Source: The Toronto Star
Olivia Ward
While Iran’s foes applaud Ottawa’s sudden move to close its Tehran embassy and expel Iranian diplomats, three men from Canada who are jailed in notoriously brutal Evin Prison have little to cheer about.
"I am very disappointed," says Ghassemi-Shall’s wife, Antonella Mega. "I had hoped there could be a dialogue between the two countries. I am convinced that is the only way that Hamid will be released."
>> read the article
Iranian-Canadian prisoners and Canada's Iran embassy closure
September 7, 2012
Source: CBC Radio
Day 6 with Brent Bambury
Now that Canada has shuttered its embassy in Tehran and kicked out Iranian diplomats from Ottawa, what happens to the Iranian-Canadians currently languishing in Iranian prisons? Antonella Mega is worried for her husband, Hamid Ghassemi-Shall. She believes the only way to save Hamid is through dialogue and worries that it cannot continue now.
>> listen to the audio
MPs urge Iran to free Canadian condemned to death
May 31, 2012
Source: CBC News
Hannah Thibedeau
The wife of a Canadian man on death row in Iran is planning to travel to the country in the next couple of weeks to attempt to have him released.
Iranian officials at the embassy in Ottawa have told Antonella Mega that it would be "helpful" if she goes to Iran in person.
>> read the article
Chris Selley on Hamid Ghassemi-Shall: Ottawa goes through the motions
May 31, 2012
Source: National Post
Chris Selley
This week, foreign affairs minister Diane Ablonczy demanded justice for Canadian citizen Hamid Ghassemi-Shall. "This House...calls for his release and return to his family and spouse in Canada, and urges Iran to reverse its current course and to adhere to its international human rights obligations," she said. MPs agreed unanimously.
>> read the article
Canadian on death row in Iran gets unanimous support from Ottawa
May 30, 2012
Source: The Toronto Star
Olivia Ward
Ottawa has issued its strongest call for the release of Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a Canadian who is on death row in Iran.
>> read the article
Four years in Iranian jail takes toll on condemned man’s wife
May 27, 2012
Source: The Toronto Star
Olivia Ward
During years of relentless stress – as her husband Hamid Ghassemi-Shall waits on death row at Evin prison – Antonella Mega has lost her job and her hope.
>> read the article
Harper warns Iran against executing Iranian-Canadian on death row
April 16, 2012
Source: The Globe and Mail
The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is calling on Iran to spare the life of an Iranian-Canadian convicted of espionage and awaiting execution. Mr. Harper warned there will be consequences if Hamid Ghassemi-Shall is executed.
"Canadian government officials have been working at all levels for some time to urge fair judicial process and clemency in this case and we're working with our international partners, and I think our view is known. The government of Iran should know that the whole world will be watching, and they will cast judgment if terrible and inappropriate things are done in this case," Mr. Harper said during a trip to Chile.
>> read the article
Wife fears for Canadian on death row in Iran - 'World will be watching,' Harper says
April 16, 2012
Source: CBC News
Suhana Meharchand interviews Antonella Mega
The wife of a Canadian on death row in Iran says she spoke with her husband on Sunday, as he waits to learn his fate and the Canadian government pleads for his release.
"He was in tears," Mega told CBC News on Monday. She said he's been told that his execution may be coming soon.
>> read the article
Baird issues plea for Canadian on death row in Iran
April 16, 2012
Source: The Globe and Mail
The Canadian Press
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is calling on the Iranian government to save the life of an Iranian-Canadian who's on death row in Tehran.
In a statement issued Sunday, Mr. Baird said Canada is gravely concerned by indications that Hamid Ghassemi-Shall's execution may be carried out imminently.
>> read the article
Feds issue plea for Canadian on death row in Iran
April 15, 2012
Source: CTV News
Daniele Hamamdjian
According to Canadian officials, Hamid Ghassemi-Shall could be executed by hanging at any time.
His wife has heard such threats many times before, but for Ottawa to speak out publicly, she knows this time could be different. The federal government issued a plea Sunday for the life of a Canadian on death row in Iran, over fears his execution "may be carried out imminently."
>> view the story
Cannon Criticizes Human Rights Situation in Iran
January 6, 2011
Source: The Epoch Times
Helena Zhu
The state of human rights in Iran has come under strong criticism from Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, who on New Year’s Day issued a statement saying he is "deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation" in the Islamic regime. Cannon called on the regime to free several prisoners currently incarcerated in Iranian jails, including two Canadians of dual nationality...
>> read the article
Govt. decries rights violations in Iran
January 1, 2011
Source: MONTREAL (AFP)
"I am particularly concerned by the uncertain fate of two Canadians of dual nationality who remain in prison in Iran," Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said.
>> read the article
VOA News Report on Canadian Residents Jailed and Abused in Iran
December 12, 2010
Source: Voice of America
Voice of America broadcasting of Antonella Mega as she pleads with Iranian authorities to allow her husband Hamid Ghassemi-Shall to return home to Canada.
>> view the story
Hamid Ghassemi-Shall is joined by another Cdn. resident in Tehran's Evin prison.
December 6, 2010
Source: The National Post
Kenyon Wallace
Another Canadian resident of Iranian descent is found in an Iranian prison. The two men previously unknown to each other are now in the same Iranian prison: Hamid Ghassemi-Shall of Toronto detained in May 2008 and Saeed Malekpour detained in October 2008.
>> read the article
Catholic nun battles to end death penalty
November 27, 2010
Source: The Toronto Star
Dan Robson
Sister Helen Prejean's story has been told around the world. Her Pulitzer Prize-nominated book
Dead Man Walking
was turned into an Academy Award- winning film, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. On Saturday, Antonella Mega came to find hope in Prejean’s words.
>> read the article
A wife’s desperate appeal
October 8, 2010
Source: CBC News The National
Nahlah Ayed
Antonella Mega hasn’t heard from her husband, Hamid, for months now. She is asking Canadian authorities to step up efforts to get him released from an Iranian jail. The number of outspoken supporters for Hamid is growing... and Dan McTeague, Liberal Consular Affairs Critic, says the Canadian government must be more forceful in engaging Iranian authorities about Hamid’s case, specifically in demanding he receive a fair trial
>> view the story
Fighting to free her husband
September 30, 2010
Source: The Link - CBC/Radio Canada International
Marc Montgomery
Antonella Mega says Hamid Ghassemi-Shall is gentle and not at all political. But, that's not how the authorities in Iran see him. In 2008 when Ghassemi-Shall was in Iran to visit his mother, he was arrested and he's been in the political wing of Tehran's notorious Evin Prison ever since. Marc Montgomery speaks with Antonella Mega about her struggle to raise awareness about her husband’s case and to win his release.
>> download the audio clip
Liberals demand Harper government stand up for Canadian citizens detained in Iran
September 29, 2010
Source: Press Release - Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada today called on the Conservative government to inform Canadians of what is being done to intervene on behalf of two Canadian citizens currently detained in Iran. Canadian-Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan was sentenced this week to 19 years in prison for content on his blog, while Hamid Ghassemi-Shall is also in prison and could face a death sentence.
>> read the article
Toronto woman spurned in her quest to have appeal for her husband’s life heard
September 26, 2010
Source: The Toronto Star
Olivia Ward
At the UN, Ottawa regularly condemns Iran’s human rights violations, but has not spoken out on Ghassemi-Shall’s case. Amnesty International has urged the Harper government to join with other countries to put pressure on Tehran.
>> read the article
Another black mark on Iran’s justice system
September 24, 2010
Source: The Montreal Gazette
As the terrible drama of Iranian Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani drags on -with no legal proof of wrongdoing, will Iran stone the mother of two to death or hang her? -few Canadians need to be convinced that Iran's concept of justice is arbitrary and irrational.
>> read the article
Toronto-based blogger faces execution in Iran
September 21, 2010
Source: The Toronto Star
Kate Allen
The strange saga of a Toronto-based blogger jailed in Iran on propaganda charges took an alarming twist Tuesday after his supporters said prosecutors requested the death penalty.
>> read the article
The Regime Delays Announcing the Death of Captain Alborz Ghassemi for 6 Months
September 16, 2010
Source: Iran Focus -
www.IranFocus.com
The Regime announced the death of Alborz Ghassemi, a political prisoner and sympathizer of the opposition movement, (OMPI) seven months after his death in prison after denying him medical care.
>> read the article
Surviving the nightmare of Iran’s Evin Prison
September 16, 2010
Source: CBC News
Jennifer Clibbon
Many Iranians with dual nationalities go back to Iran regularly to visit family, and Hamid's arrest should be a warning to them, that they could get arrested for no good reason and be imprisoned for extended periods of time.
>> read the article
A Canadian in Iran
August 23, 2010
The Globe and Mail, Letters to the Editor
It is horrifying that Hamid Ghassemi-Shall has been unjustly held in Iran for over two years, under a death sentence, no less. To compound the sickening situation, our Canadian government has barely reacted.
>> read the article
Please don’t abandon a Canadian in need
August 20, 2010
Source: The Globe and Mail
Marina Nemat
Unfortunately, the Canadian government has not been as engaged as it should be when it comes to Canadians with dual citizenship imprisoned abroad. I have spoken with Antonella Mega, Hamid Ghassemi-Shall’s wife, and many times she’s felt abandoned and ignored by Canadians. Hamid is innocent and he deserves our support.
>> read the article
Canadian trapped in Iranian jail
August 16, 2010
Source: The Toronto Sun
Joe Warmington
With a little diplomatic pressure and appealing to the good nature people in all countries posses, we were able to bring home Cody LeCompte. Same goes for Brenda Martin. Perhaps now we can do the same for fellow Canadian Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a resident of the Beach.
>> read the article
Jim Richards interviews Liberal MP Dan McTeague, Official Opposition Critic for Consumer Affairs and Consular Service on Canadian-Iranian Hamid Ghassemi-Shall sentenced to death in Iran
May 27, 2010
Source: NEWSTALK 1010
Jim Richards
Jim Richards interviews Liberal MP Dan McTeague on concerns that the Canadian government is not doing enough to help save the life of Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a Canadian-Iranian who was mistakenly charged with espionage and sentenced to death in Iran
>> download the audio clip
Jim Richards interviews Antonella Mega, wife of Canadian-Iranian Hamid Ghassemi-Shall sentenced to death in Iran
May 27, 2010
Source: NEWSTALK 1010
Jim Richards
Jim Richards interviews Antonella Mega on her decision to go public to save the life of her husband, Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a Canadian-Iranian who was mistakenly charged with espionage and sentenced to death in Iran
>> download the audio clip
Repression in Iran
May 24, 2010
Source: The Toronto Star - Editorial
Ian Urquhart
Repression in distant Iran has a way of hitting close to home here in Canada. A spate of detentions has unsettled the large Iranian Canadian community, rattled family members and reminded all Canadians how Iran’s revolutionary government operates.
>> read the article
Canadian arrested in Iran
May 20, 2010
Source: CBC The National
Nahlah Ayed
A Toronto woman is appealing to the Canadian government for help after her Iranian-Canadian husband was arrested and charged with espionage in Iran
>> view the story
Toronto woman pleads for husband’s release from Iranian jail
May 20, 2010
Source: The Toronto Star
Michelle Shephard - National Security Reporter
For two years, Antonella Mega has quietly fought for her husband’s release from an Iranian prison, putting her faith in the Canadian government and Tehran’s courts.
>> read the article
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