The European Union on Thursday imposed new human rights sanctions on 15 Iranian individuals and six entities, citing their roles in the violent suppression of nationwide protests, arbitrary detentions, executions and internet repression.
Those listed include Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, police chiefs, judges of Iran’s revolutionary courts and cyber officials involved in censorship and surveillance, according to the regulation published in the EU’s Official Journal.
The EU said those sanctioned were responsible for “serious human rights violations,” including the killing of protesters, torture, mass arrests, death sentences for demonstrators and systematic restrictions on access to information.
Entities targeted include Iran’s Audio-Visual Media Regulatory Authority (SATRA), the Working Group for Determining Instances of Criminal Content, and several IRGC-linked cyber and technology organizations accused of enforcing internet shutdowns, censorship, disinformation campaigns and online surveillance.
The measures were adopted under the EU’s human rights sanctions regime and include asset freezes and travel bans. They entered into force immediately upon publication on Thursday.