On April 12, the European Union sanctioned eight Iranian security officials involved in a deadly crackdown on protesters in November 2019. The travel bans and asset freezes were the first E.U. human rights sanctions on Iran since 2013. In late 2019, Iran experienced mass protests after the government increased gas prices by up to 300 percent and introduced a new fuel rationing system. Security forces killed at least 304 people and detained at least 7,000 others in November 2019, Amnesty International reported.
The sanctions targeted senior Revolutionary Guards, police commanders and Basij militia leaders:
- Hossein Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards;
- Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of the Basij militia;
- Hassan Karami, commander of the Special Units of the Iranian police;
- Mohammad Pakpour, commander of the Revolutionary Guards Ground Forces;
- Hossein Ashtari, commander of the Iranian police force;
- Gholamreza Ziaei, former director of Evin Prison;
- Hassan Shahvarpour, a brigadier general who ordered a massacre of nearly 150 protesters in Mahshahr;
- Leyla Vaseghi, the governor of Shahr e Qods who ordered police to shoot protesters.
The European Union also banned exports of telecommunications and security equipment to three prisons notorious for inflicting psychological and physical torture:
- Evin Prisoner, where protesters were “held in solitary confinement or overcrowded cells with poor hygienic conditions;”
- Fashafouyeh Prison, where protesters were “subjected to torture and inhumane treatment…by deliberately wounding them with boiling water;”
- Rajaee Shahr Prison, where “hundreds of detainees, including children, were severely mistreated.”
The following is a statement by the European Council and the sanctions order.
Statement by European Council on April 12: "The Council today decided to extend its restrictive measures responding to serious human rights violations in Iran until 13 April 2022. These measures consist of a travel ban and an asset freeze, and a ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications. In addition, EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to the listed individuals and entities.
"These measures were first put in place in 2011 and have been extended ever since on an annual basis.
"The Council today also added eight persons and three entities to this sanctions list in view of their role in the violent response to the November 2019 demonstrations in Iran. The list now comprises a total of 89 individuals and 4 entities."
Sanctions order by the European Council on April 12:
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 31(2) thereof,
Having regard to Council Decision 2011/235/CFSP of 12 April 2011 concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Iran (1), and in particular Article 3(1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
Whereas:
|
(1) |
On 12 April 2011 the Council adopted Decision 2011/235/CFSP. |
|
(2) |
On 8 December 2019 the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy issued a declaration on behalf of the Union deploring the widespread and disproportionate use of force by the Iranian security forces, which led to high numbers of deaths and injuries during the response to the November 2019 demonstrations. The declaration also spelled out that the Union expects all perpetrators of violence to be held accountable and called on the Iranian authorities to ensure transparent and credible investigations to clarify the number of deaths and arrested, and to provide due process to all detainees. Furthermore, in reaction to Iran’s decision to shut down internet access to global networks for over a week, preventing communication and the free flow of information for Iranian citizens, the declaration stressed that fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and assembly, must always be respected. |
|
(3) |
In this context, and in line with the Union’s commitment to address all issues of concern with Iran, including the human rights situation, eight persons and three entities should be included in the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures set out in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP. |
|
(4) |
The Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly, |
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP is amended as set out in the Annex to this Decision.
Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Done at Brussels, 12 April 2021.
For the Council
The President
- P. ZACARIAS
(1) OJ L 100, 14.4.2011, p. 51.
ANNEX
The following persons and entities are added to the list of persons and entities set out in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP:
Persons
|
|
Name |
Identifying information |
Reasons |
Date of listing |
|
‘88. |
SOLEIMANI Gholamreza |
POB: Farsan (Iran) DOB: 1343 (Iranian Hijri calendar), 1964 or 1965 (Gregorian calendar) Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Head of the Basij Organisation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) |
Gholamreza Soleimani is the Head of the Basij Organisation. The Basij Organisation used lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests in Iran, causing the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians in many cities across the country. As Head of the Basij Organisation, Gholamreza Soleimani bears responsibility for the violent suppression of the protests and serious human rights violations in Iran. |
12.4.2021 |
|
89. |
SALAMI Hossein (a.k.a. SALAMI Hussain) |
POB: Vaneshan, Golpayegan (Iran) DOB: 1339 (Iranian Hijri calendar) 1960 or 1961 (Gregorian calendar) Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Rank: Major General |
Hossein Salami has been the Commander in Chief of the IRGC since April 2019, which includes the Basij militia, and is a member of the National Security Council. The IRGC’s regular forces and the Basij militia used lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests in Iran, causing the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians in many cities across the country. As a member of the National Security Council, Hossein Salami took part in the sessions that resulted in the orders to use lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests. Hossein Salami therefore bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran. |
12.4.2021 |
|
90. |
KARAMI Hassan |
Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Commander of the Special Units of the Iranian police force |
Hassan Karami is the Commander of the Special Units of the Iranian police force. The Special Units used lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests in Iran, causing the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians in many cities across the country. As the Commander of the Special Units, which have caused the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians, Hassan Karami bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran. |
12.4.2021 |
|
91. |
PAKPOUR Mohammad (a.k.a. PAKPUR Mohammad) |
POB: Arak (Iran) DOB: 1340 (Iranian Hijri calendar), 1961 (Gregorian calendar) Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces Rank: Brigadier General |
Mohammad Pakpour has been Commander in Chief of the IRGC Ground Forces since March 2010. The IRGC’s Ground Forces used lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests in Iran, causing the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians in many cities across the country. As Commander in Chief of the IRGC’s Ground Forces, which have used lethal force against unarmed protesters and other civilians, Mohammad Pakpour bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran. |
12.4.2021 |
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92. |
ASHTARI Hossein |
POB: Isfahan (a.k.a. Esfahan, Ispahan) Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Commander in Chief of the Iranian police force |
Hossein Ashtari has been the Commander in Chief of the Iranian police force since March 2015 and is a member of the National Security Council. The police force includes the Emdad Units and the Special Units. Iran’s ordinary police force, the Emdad Units and the Special Units used lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests in Iran, causing the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians in many cities across the country. As a member of the National Security Council, Hossein Ashtari took part in the sessions that resulted in the orders to use lethal force to suppress the November 2019 protests. Hossein Ashtari therefore bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran. |
12.4.2021 |
|
93. |
ZIAEI Gholamreza |
Gender: male Position: Former Director of Evin Prison; former Director of other detention centres |
Between July 2019 and June 2020, Gholamreza Ziaei was the Director of Evin Prison, where already harsh conditions for detainees further deteriorated during his tenure. Female prisoners were denied phone contact with their children. Political prisoners were denied weekly visits by relatives, which were only allowed every two months. During the 2009 protests, Ziaei was in charge of the Kahrizak Detention Center, where at least five detainees, who had been arrested in connection with Tehran’s 2009 mass street protests, died after being tortured. From 2017 to 2019, before taking charge of Evin Prison in Tehran, Ziaei was the director of Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, where there have been numerous protests by political prisoners against abuse and inhumane living conditions. |
12.4.2021 |
|
94. |
SHAHVARPOUR Hassan |
POB: Safi Abad, south of Dezful, Khuzestan (Iran) Gender: male Passport number: 2001624001 (national ID number) Position: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander of Khuzestan Province Vali Asr Corps Rank: Brigadier General |
As the Commander of the IRGC in Khuzestan since 2009, Hassan Shahvarpour is responsible for commanding the forces which used machine guns against protesters and other civilians in the city of Mahshahr during the November 2019 protests. Under his command, 148 people were killed by the IRGC by heavy machine gun fire from armoured vehicles encircling fleeing protesters hiding in nearby marshes. |
12.4.2021 |
|
95. |
VASEGHI Leyla (a.k.a. VASEQI Layla, VASEGHI Leila, VASEGHI Layla) |
POB: Sari, Mazandaran Province (Iran) DOB: 1352 (Iranian Hijri calendar), 1972 or 1973 (Gregorian calendar) Gender: female Position: Governor of Shahr-e Qods and Head of the City Security Council |
As the governor of Shahr-e Qods and Head of the City Security Council since September 2019, Leyla Vaseghi ordered the police and other armed forces to use lethal means during the November 2019 protests, causing the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians. As the governor of Shahr-e Qods and Head of the City Security Council, Leyla Vaseghi bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran. |
12.4.2021’ |
Entities
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|
Name |
Identifying information |
Reasons |
Date of listing |
|
‘2. |
Evin Prison |
Address: Tehran Province, Tehran, District 2, Dasht-e Behesht (Iran) |
Evin Prison is a detention centre where political prisoners have been held and severe human rights abuses, including torture, have repeatedly taken place over the past years and decades. November 2019 protesters were, and at least to some extent still are, detained in Evin Prison as political prisoners. Prisoners in Evin Prison are being deprived of basic procedural rights, and are sometimes held in solitary confinement or overcrowded cells with poor hygienic conditions. There are detailed reports of physical and psychological torture. Detainees are denied contact with family and lawyers as well as adequate health treatment. |
12.4.2021 |
|
3. |
Fashafouyeh Prison (a.k.a. Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary, Hasanabad-e Qom Prison, Greater Tehran Prison) |
Address: Tehran Province, Hasanabad, Bijin Industrial Zone, Tehran, Qom Old Road (Iran) Telephone: +98 21 5625 8050 |
Fashafouyeh Prison is a detention centre designated originally to detain offenders of drug-related crimes, recently also holding political prisoners and, in some cases, forcing them to share cells with drug addicts. The living and hygienic conditions are very poor, lacking basic needs like clean drinking water. During the November 2019 protests, several protesters were detained in Fashafouyeh Prison, including minors. Reports indicate that November 2019 protesters were subjected to torture and inhumane treatment at Fashafouyeh Prison, e.g. by deliberately wounding them with boiling water and through denial of medical treatment. According to an Amnesty International report on the crackdown of the November 2019 protests, children as young as 15 have been detained alongside adults in Fashafouyeh Prison. Three November 2019 protesters who are currently being held in Fashafouyeh Prison were sentenced to death by a court in Tehran. |
12.4.2021 |
|
4. |
Rajaee Shahr Prison (a.k.a. Rajai Shahr Prison, Rajaishahr, Raja’i Shahr, Reja’i Shahr, Rajayi Shahr, Gorhardasht Prison, Gohar Dasht Prison) |
Address: Alborz Province, Karaj, Gohardasht, Moazzen Blvd (Iran) Telephone: +98 26 3448 9826 |
Rajaee Shahr Prison has been known for the deprivation of human rights, including severe physical and psychological torture of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience as well as mass executions without fair trial, ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Hundreds of detainees, including children, were severely mistreated in Rajaee Shahr Prison in the aftermath of the November 2019 protests. There are credible reports about numerous cases of torture and other forms of cruel punishment, including cases involving minors. |
12.4.2021’ |