Iranian Activist Found Dead in Canada Amid Rising Diaspora Threats in 2026

By Aarón Álvarez Guttmann, for The New Alternative – June 6, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) – Masood Masjoody, a prominent Iranian-Canadian mathematician known for his strong opposition to both the Islamic Republic and the monarchist movement, was discovered deceased in British Columbia. He had been reported missing earlier in February. Police confirmed the finding in mid-March.

Authorities in British Columbia have now formally accused two Iranian-born activists of first-degree murder in connection with Masjoody’s death. These individuals had been subject to public accusations from Masjoody himself last autumn, alleging they were actively planning his assassination. This tragic event has amplified anxieties within the Iranian diaspora, occurring against a backdrop of escalating online threats and instances of political violence throughout 2025 and 2026.

This occurrence coincides with a period of heightened animosity within the Iranian exile community. Tensions have been acute due to the protracted conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Numerous activists, who express dissent towards both the current Tehran government and the exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi and his support for the war, report enduring a substantial increase in harassment and explicit death threats this year. (Geller, 2026)

Nut Graf Ten other prominent diaspora figures, most of them critics of the monarchist campaign or the war, were tagged days after Masjoody disappeared, in an ominous post on social platform X. (Geller, 2026) The Farsi message, topped with a knife emoji, read: “Soon you will have to find the corpses of many. ” It came from an account named for SAVAK, the former monarchy’s hated secret police. The account has since been deactivated. (Thanawala, 2026) Interview Quotes: Nik Kowsar, a Washington-based Iranian activist and cartoonist and one of those tagged in the post, spoke of the chilling effect the threats are having in a recent interview: “This one gave me chills,” said Kowsar. “I have received negative messages for years, but after Masjoody disappeared and this post appeared, many of us are genuinely afraid. ” Kowsar, who was once an unpaid adviser to Reza Pahlavi but is one of his sharpest critics, added: “The climate of fear in 2025 is pushing people to notify police, change routines, and avoid public events. We left Iran to escape authoritarianism. Now we face similar intimidation in the diaspora.”

Additional Context. Already polarized by the war and arguing amongst themselves over who gets to lead Iran if the current regime falls, the case further aggravated division in a diaspora that was already fractured. (Keeler, 2026) The supporters of Pahlavi denied any culpability for the threats. They accused agents of the government of Iran of having impersonated some of the activists online to cause confusion and divide the opponents of the government among themselves. (Tuquero, 2025) The country of Iran has, in the past, assassinated its dissidents abroad. (Condemned by Law: Assassination of Political Dissidents Abroad, n.d.) (Condemned by Law: Assassination of Political Dissidents Abroad, n.d.)

Sahar Razavi, the director of the Iranian and Middle East Studies Center of California State University, Sacramento, said that in 2025, the monarchist movement would become more radicalized and coordinated.

“They demand unity of voice and purity of politics, and anyone who falls short of that is not just their rival but their enemy that has to be vanquished, ” Razavi said in a recent analysis.

Amnesty International and the United Nations had continued to document the domestic repression of women and the regime in Iran on protesters in 2025 and 2026, which included mass arrests and executions following renewed “Woman, Life, Freedom” demonstrations; simultaneously, diaspora activists on all sides report rising concern about being targeted by both regime agents and inintra-opposition violence. (Iran: Mass Arbitrary Arrests and Political Executions Mark Intensifying Repression, 2026)

Alireza Nader, Ali Tarokh, and other activists have informed law enforcement about comparable threats. Subsequently, they have modified their everyday activities to ensure their safety. Around January, the National Iranian American Council likewise got emails containing threats of violence, should they move forward with their planned anti-war gatherings. (National Iranian American Council, 2026)

Reference:

Original Associated Press story: https: //apnews. Com/article/iran-diaspora-threats-murder-canada-pahlavi- (Use actual link once it is published)

Iran Human Rights’ 2025 Execution and Repression Tracker. You can find it here: https: //iranhr. Net/en/

News Briefing: Updates to Amnesty International’s 2025 Human Rights Report on Iran

The United Nations Human Rights Council issued an update concerning Iran in January 2025.

References:

Keeler, A. (March 5, 2026). ‘Iranians are not a monolith’: Iran war exposes deep divisions. Canadian Affairs. https://www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/03/06/iranians-are-not-a-monolith-iran-war-exposes-deep-divisions/

Tuquero, L. (June 30, 2025). An X account is impersonating an Iranian journalist. The platform’s guidelines allow it. PolitiFact. https://www.politifact.com/article/2025/jul/01/iranian-journalist-impersonator-x-account/

(n.d.). Condemned by Law: Assassination of Political Dissidents Abroad. https://iranhrdc.org/condemned-by-law-assassination-of-political-dissidents-abroad/