The Council of the EU decided on Monday 17 October to sanction 11 individuals and 4 entities for their involvement in the death of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent crackdown on protests and internet access.
On their arrival at the Council, several ministers had given their support to the demonstrators. “We are going after those responsible for the brutal use of force against citizens, women, men, teenagers, simply because they want to live their lives as we do, in freedom and peace”, said Annalena Baerbock from Germany. “A strong and coordinated EU response to the worrying human rights situation is essential. We must show solidarity with the courageous people of Iran and avoid further violent repression and casualties”, added her Swedish counterpart, Ann Linde.
Among those sanctioned are the head of the Iranian Morality Police, Mohammad Rostami, the Iranian Minister of Information Technology and Communications, Issa Zarepour, and the head of the Tehran branch of the Morality Police, Colonel Haj Ahmed Mirzaei. The other people subject to sanctions are mainly military personnel, including colonels and brigadier generals.
The Iranian morality police, the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force, the Cyber Defence Command (CDC) of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the law enforcement agencies of the Islamic Republic of Iran are subject to an asset freeze.
97 people and 8 entities are now sanctioned by the EU in connection with human rights violations in Iran.
However the list could be extended. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell warned that, if necessary, the EU Council was ready to add names. He said, citing NGOs, that more than 100 people have already been killed. Mr Borrell called on the Iranian authorities to end the violence, release those imprisoned and allow the flow of information.
Beyond these sanctions, Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod said that it was necessary to work closely together to condemn Iran in all international fora for the “atrocities” committed against the population.
Consideration of drone-related sanctions in Ukraine
And while Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba - speaking to ministers from a shelter because of Russia’s attacks on Kyiv - called for sanctions against Iran for supplying drones to Russia, Europeans remain cautious. Mr Borrell announced that Europeans were collecting evidence, that Member States had asked for this to be done in a coordinated way and that Europeans were ready to react with the tools at their disposal.
The High Representative added that Iran had completely denied that it had sent drones to Russia.
“This may be a violation of a UN resolution and Iran may face a number of sanctions. Therefore, we will have to continue working on this”, French minister Catherine Colonna told AFP and EUROPE.
Furthermore, the EU High Representative made it clear that he did not expect any progress on the new agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme. “It’s a pity because we were very, very close”, he said. He added: “We have to wait”.
See the legal act related to the sanctions: https://aeur.eu/f/3nm (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)