Brussels, 22 May 2023
The Council decided today to impose restrictive measures on an additional 5 individuals and two entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran.
The new listings include the current commander of the Tehran Police Relief Unit of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF), and an individual linked to the “Maryam Arvin case” – a lawyer who was brutally arrested, gravely mistreated, and subsequently died for her activities in defence of protesters. Today’s sanctions also target the spokesman of the Iranian Police, and the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace of Iran (SCC), the authority responsible for repression in the cyberspace.
Furthermore, the Council is listing the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, which is the body responsible for managing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ investments and funnelling money into the regime’s brutal repression and the Student Basij Organization (SBO). The latter acts as the IRGC’s violent enforcers on university campuses where students staged protests in the fall of 2022, and were subsequently the victims of repression and serious human rights violations such as abduction and torture.
Restrictive measures now apply to a total of 216 individuals and 37 entities. They consist of an asset freeze, a travel ban to the EU and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed. A ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications is also in place.
The European Union expresses its support for the fundamental aspiration of the people of Iran for a future where their universal human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, protected and fulfilled.
The EU calls on Iran 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. The EU also calls upon Iran to end the distressing practice of detaining foreign civilians with a view to making political gains.
Today’s package of listings follows the previous seven adopted by the Council on 17 October, 14 November, and 12 December 2022, 23 January, 20 February, 20 March and 24 April 2023.
The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU.
- Council implementing regulation and implementing decision concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies in view of the situation in Iran (including the list of sanctioned individuals and entities)
- Iran: Council sanctions eight additional individuals and one entity over human rights violations (press release, 24 April 2023)
- Iran: Council approves conclusions, 12 December 2022
Source – EU Council