EU updates sanctions list over human rights breaches in Iran

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to update the EU’s sanctions list over human rights breaches in Iran, adding police chiefs and organizations linked to the Revolutionary Guard.

The ministers decided to “impose restrictive measures on an additional 5 individuals and two entities responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran,” the Council of the EU said in a statement.

The new listings include Tehran police chief Salman Adinehvand for being “directly responsible for the violent suppression of protests in Tehran in September and October 2022, during which dozens of protestors were killed by security forces using live ammunition,” the decision published in the EU Official Journal said.

Cyberspace chief Seyyed Mohammad Amin was also added for being “responsible for Iran’s blockage of popular online news and communications platforms and has also used digital technology to spy on and harass journalists and regime dissidents,” the decision said.

Another high-ranking police officer, the spokesperson of the Iranian police and a public prosecutor, and the student branch and the investment fund of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard were also blacklisted.

The EU foreign affairs ministers urged Iran to “end the practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters” and reverse the existing decisions.

“The EU also calls upon Iran to end the distressing practice of detaining foreign civilians with a view to making political gains,” it added.

With the update, the bloc now targets 216 people and 37 entities in Iran.

The measures forbid EU operators to make funds available and prevent individuals from entering EU territory.