RFE/RL Chief Jamie Fly Among New Additions To Iran’s Sanctions List

RFL/RE – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President and Chief Executive Office Jamie Fly is one of more than two dozen people and entities to have been added to Iran’s sanctions list in response to new measures taken by the European Union and the United Kingdom against Tehran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on February 21 that the sanctions ban those on the list from entering Iran and their property and assets in Iran will be subject to seizure.

A day earlier, the EU and UK imposed new sanctions — the latest of several rounds of measures enacted — on Iranian officials and entities for their role in the violent and often deadly crackdown against public protests in the Islamic republic.

That crackdown has included a stifling of independent journalists and information sources that have tried to report on events in Iran.

Tehran’s new sanctions list also includes French Equality Minister Isabelle Rome and French Industrial Affairs Minister Roland Lescure, as well as three German members of parliament and the French and Belgian representatives at the European Parliament.SEE ALSO:Family Of Slain Iranian Teenage Protester Endure Threats, Intimidation As They Seek Justice

Eight British citizens, most of whom are officials with the country’s armed forces, were also put on the list.

The Foreign Ministry’s statement accused those placed on the list of “inciting and encouraging terrorist actions.”

Tehran has tried to blame Western governments for the nationwide protests that erupted after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was being detained by Iran’s notorious morality police for allegedly wearing a head scarf, or hijab, improperly.

The demonstrations follow a summer of unrest over poor living conditions and economic woes sparked by U.S. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

No evidence has been shown to back up the claim of Western involvement in Iran’s protests, but officials have used the excuse in part to launch the crackdown on dissent, the media, and civil society that rights groups say has resulted in more than 500 deaths and thousands of arrests.

The new EU sanctions, which were announced on February 20, target 32 people and two entities and include the Iranian culture and Islamic guidance minister, the education minister, and other politicians and officials supporting the crackdown.SEE ALSO:Iranian Foundation Praises Rushdie’s Alleged Attacker, Offers Gift Of Farmland

In total, EU sanctions now apply to 196 individuals and 33 entities in Iran.

In December RFE/RL’s Radio Farda and the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were placed on the list by Tehran.

At the time, Fly called the designation “an absurd manipulation of the truth, straight out of every authoritarian playbook.”

“The reality is that each day, the Iranian regime kills men, women, and children protesting for a better future, blames the victims, and abuses their families. Through it all, Radio Farda is trusted by sources and audiences alike to report on what is really happening,” he added.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has previously named employees of foreign Persian media as “enemies of the state,” saying that those who “serve foreigners” and “betray the country” will be punished.

Western criticism of Iran has increased in recent months after the country admitted to executing protesters after trials human rights organizations and Washington called “shams.”

Radio Farda provides 24/7 radio programs for Iran on multiple platforms, including satellite and shortwave transmissions that fully cover Iran.

Farda’s website is one of the most popular Persian-language news and information outlets in the country.