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Iranwire – The European Union says it has imposed a ninth package of restrictive measures on an additional seven individuals accused of participation in “serious” human rights violations in Iran.
“The new listings include the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Isfahan province and the Deputy Judge of the Provincial Criminal Court of Isfahan province, who are responsible for the trials against the protestors Saleh Mirhashmi, Majid Kazemi and Saeid Yaqoubi, subsequently executed in May 2023,” the European Council said in a statement on June 26.
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Isfahan province is also targeted for overseeing “the actions of the IRGC and other security forces in response to anti-government protests.”
The council is listing the governor and head of Rezvanshahr Security Council in Gilan province, who is accused of ordering officers to open fire on protesters, “causing numerous deaths and injuries,” and the provincial police commander, who executed the orders, the statement added.
Sanctions were imposed on the governor of the city of Amol, responsible for the killing of at least two young Iranian protesters, and the commander of the Imam Hossein Guards Corps of Karaj over the “detention and killing of Mohammad Reza Ghorbani and the detention and rape of Amrita Abbassi” by the security forces.
Iranian authorities have cracked down hard on months-long nationwide protests sparked by the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody.
More than 520 people were killed during demonstrations and over 20,000 others were unlawfully detained, activists say. Following biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.
The Islamic Republic has escalated executions in recent weeks to try to instill fear in society.
In response to the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on dissent, the EU has imposed restrictive measures on a total of 223 Iranian individuals and 37 entities. The sanctions consist of an asset freeze, a travel ban to the EU and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed.
The bloc has also put in place a ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for “internal repression” and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications.
In its statement, the European Council urged the Islamic Republic to “stop the violent crackdown against peaceful protests, cease their resort to arbitrary detentions as a means of silencing critical voices, and release all those unjustly detained.”
The council called on the Iranian authorities to “end the practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters, reverse the death penalty sentences pronounced, as well as provide due process to all detainees.”
It also said that the “distressing practice of detaining foreign civilians with a view to making political gains” should stop.
