B.C. naturopath alleges suspects in Iran activist’s murder sought to ‘silence’ him

VANCOUVER — An affidavit filed by Rosita Fatemi said her meeting with Arezou Soltani and Mehdi Ahmadzadeh Razavi took place in a parking lot in the Park Royal mall in West Vancouver, the heart of British Columbia’s Iranian community.

The document said she and her two fellow founding directors of a B.C. non-profit society opposed to the Iranian regime were there to discuss a lawsuit filed by another activist, Masood Masjoody, who had accused Soltani and Razavi of being aligned with the dictatorship.

Razavi had accused her at the meeting of communicating with Masjoody, and took her phone without her consent when she tried to refute the accusation, her affidavit says.
During the same meeting, Fatemi alleges that Soltani wanted to know how to “silence” someone, in a way that would “look natural.”

“She also asked me for a drug substance to ‘get rid of him.’ Based on the context of the discussion, I understood her to be referring to the plaintiff (Masjoody) and causing him to be murdered,” she said.

The affidavit was filed in Masjoody’s lawsuit against Soltani, Razavi, the foundation and others on Jan. 28.

Five days later, Masjoody was reported missing by his neighbours in Burnaby, B.C., and on March 6, his remains were discovered in Mission, B.C.

Razavi and Soltani have now been charged with first-degree murder in his death, although police have not said how he died.

Homicide investigators said when contacted days after the announcement of murder charges that police were initially unaware of the allegations contained in Fatemi’s affidavit.

The circumstances preceding the mathematician’s death play out in a sprawling legal record that is a result of Masjoody’s many lawsuits, that kept the courts so occupied that he was branded a “vexatious litigant” by a judge, castigated for wasting precious court resources.

Masjoody was an outspoken critic of both Iran’s Islamic regime and the royalist faction of the diaspora community, which supports the exiled former crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who is now jockeying to lead the country should the Iranian administration topple as a result of U.S. and Israeli bombing campaigns.

Pahlavi too was a target of legal action by Masjoody, who accused him of defamation. In an affidavit, Pahlavi denied even knowing Masjoody, and denied involvement in any harassment, defamation or “conspiracy” against him.

Masjoody had launched several lawsuits in recent years, alleging he was the victim of harassment and defamation, and his eccentric legal antics saw him clash with former colleagues at Simon Fraser University, judges, lawyers, media and others in the anti-Iranian regime activist community, including Razavi and Soltani.

The non-profit society, the Canadian Iranian Wakuppers Foundation, is registered to Soltani’s home address in North Vancouver, a short drive from Park Royal just over the boundary with West Vancouver.

A white Mercedes sedan sat parked outside the home during a recent visit, where no one answered the door.

Uncollected mail protruded from the mailbox and a small, festive gift bag had been left outside the front door.

Fatemi, a naturopathic doctor, also lives in North Vancouver high in the hills of the upper Lonsdale area, where a pre-revolution lion and sun flag drooped in the rain on a flagpole affixed to her home’s garage.

A man who answered the door said she wasn’t home and that she did not want to speak about her affidavit.

The foundation’s constitution says it was incorporated for the purposes of “identifying and exposing the individuals, organizations and activities affiliated with the Islamic regime of Iran; who not only undermine democracy and violate human rights in Iran but also invade Canadian borders.”

“Supporting people affected by the Islamic regime of Iran in Canada. Raising awareness about the influence and activities of individuals and organizations affiliated with the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which promotes radical Islamic theocracy and endangers democracy and human rights in Canada.”

The foundation’s documents, obtained by The Canadian Press, show it was formed in June 2023, but Fatemi’s affidavit says she hasn’t been involved in its day-to-day operations since late 2023.

Masjoody had filed several lawsuits in B.C. prior to his death, and the foundation, Soltani and Razavi were among numerous defendants named in his multiple legal actions in recent years.

Sgt. Freda Fong, spokeswoman for B.C.’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said police were aware of Masjoody’s disputes with the suspects.

“It’s on the public record that there are ongoing civil disputes as well as exchanges on social media platform involving the victim as well as the accused,” Fong said on March 14 at a Surrey, B.C., news conference. “Whether or not that forms a motive of the homicide, it is still under investigation.”

Fong said in an emailed statement that homicide investigators only became involved after he went missing, and before that “had no knowledge of Mr. Masjoody or any alleged plot against him.”

“Once we took over the case, over the course of our investigation, we came across an abundance of disputes including those over social media as well as the material in the civil claims,” Fong said.

Masjoody alleged in court documents that he had called police and opened multiple files with Burnaby and North Vancouver RCMP in connection with his lawsuits.

Burnaby RCMP and North Vancouver RCMP did not respond to a request for comment.

Soltani and Razavi made a brief court appearance by video in Vancouver on March 16, and they’re due back in court on March 25.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2026.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press