Iran has been engulfed in mass protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the “ethics police”. The government has cracked down on protesters quite ruthlessly, with hundreds dead and thousands jailed. The United States on Wednesday decided to ban all such Iranian officials involved in crackdowns on protesters.
“We will continue to find ways to support the people of Iran as they protest peacefully in defense of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in doing so, will continue to inflict costs on individuals and institutions in Iran who engage in brutal repression. . Iranian people,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The US Treasury Department informed in a separate statement that it has also approved officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the commander of its intelligence wing, and provincial and Iranian prison officials. Officials involved in Internet censorship across Iran are also the target of sanctions.
The sanctions targeted Hedayt Farzadi, the warden of Avin Prison, where most political prisoners are lodged. The US also claimed that inmates are tortured in the prison and that Farzadi is overseeing the torture and abuse. The Treasury Department also reported that before taking charge of the prison, Farzadi is known to have executed executions and public dissections.
Several detainees, including those of dual Iranian nationality, are held in the Avin prison on security charges. Iranian American businessman Siamak Namazi is also lodged in Avin Prison.
Other sanctioned persons include prison officials, governors of provinces affected by violence, officials of Iranof the Ministry of Intelligence and Security and the Iranian company Samane Gostar Sahab Pardaz Private Limited Company, which according to the US provides censorship, surveillance and espionage equipment to the Iranian government.
The sanctions would freeze any US assets belonging to such individuals and those involved in transactions with them would also face the risk of being sanctioned.
After the death of Mahsa Amini, a wide range of Iranian have taken to the streets, some even calling for “death to (Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei”.
Human rights groups claim that more than 250 protesters, including teenage girls, have been killed in the government crackdown. Officials accused US-led Western nations of instigating the riots, and media reported that 30 members of the security forces were also killed.
With inputs from Reuters
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