Today, Monday, the European Union announced an asset freeze and a visa ban on Iran’s education and culture ministers as part of the fifth round of sanctions against Tehran for cracking down on protests.
The new measures concern 32 people and two organizations, especially against deputies, judicial officials and the administration of penitentiary institutions accused of involvement in the repression, according to the official newspaper of the European Union.
Since September 16, the Islamic Republic has witnessed protests following the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini (22), days after she was arrested by the vice police in Tehran on the grounds that she did not adhere to strict rules. dress codes in the country, and at least 14,000 people have been arrested in Iran during protests, according to the UN.
Iranian authorities executed four people for their participation in the protest movement and sentenced a total of 18 people to death, sparking an international wave of condemnation.
The latest package of European sanctions includes Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Muhammad Mahdi Ismaili, for harassing non-state artists and filmmakers.
Education Minister Youssef Nouri has been blacklisted for harassment and detention of students based on their participation in the protests.
The new penalties also affected judges, prosecutors and senior prison officials for their involvement in alleged abuses.
The European Union has previously imposed sanctions on more than 70 Iranian officials and entities in connection with the crackdown on protests, including the vice police, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders and state media.
However, the 27-nation alliance has not included the Revolutionary Guards on its blacklist of terrorist organizations, despite calls to do so from Germany and the Netherlands.
The new package comes as thousands of opponents of the Iranian government demonstrated outside the European Union headquarters in Brussels on Monday during a meeting of EU foreign ministers, and the demonstrators demanded tougher measures against the revolutionary government. Guards.
Source: Agence France-Presse.
