Canada and the US announce new sanctions against Iran in protests
Washington imposes sanctions upon three Iranian officials, who are accused of participating a “brutal crackdown against protesters”.
The United States and Canada have announced new sanctions against Iranian officials suspected of human rights violations as protests intensify in Iran.
According to the US Treasury Department, in a Press release Friday’s sanctions were imposed on three Iranian security and law enforcement officers. They are accused of being involved in the arrest of anti-government protesters as well as violence against them.
“Today, we have taken coordinated sanctions to Iran officials involved in human right violations, including those that were committed as part of an ongoing brutal crackdown against the deprivation or the Iranian people’s fundamental freedoms,” Canada said and the US released a statement. a Joint statementAlso released Friday.
We, along with Canada, remain committed to bringing criminal charges against those who perpetrate human rights violations against Iranians. Everyone in Iran is entitled to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 9, 2022
The US is part of a larger campaign to target more than 40 individuals and organizations in nine countries on the International Day Against Corruption. These countries include the Philippines, Russia, El Salvador and Guatemala.
Canada and the US have targeted many Iranian officials and groups with sanctions in response to Tehran’s harsh retaliation to protests over Mahsa, a 22 year-old Kurdish woman,’s death. She After being held by Iran’s vice-squad, he died in September.
The first execution related to the protests was carried out by the Iranian government on Thursday. 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari was hanged after he allegedly blocked a street and attacked a security guard with a knife.
Friday’s sanctions were directed at Iranian officials that the US claimed were involved in violence against the government. Ali Akbar Javidan was charged with commanding the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF), law enforcement forces in Kermanshah. He was also charged with overseeing troops that had killed protesters.
Ebrahim Kouchakzaei – a LEF commander in Chabahar, a city on the Gulf of Oman – was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl, sparking protests in which security forces reportedly killed more than 60 people.
The US sanctioned Allah Karam Azizi, the prison guard at Rejae Shahr outside Tehran. Washington claims that Azizi is responsible for protecting political prisoners who have been abused.
Friday’s sanctions froze assets of sanctioned parties and prevented individuals from transacting in the USA and Canada with them. According to the finance ministry, five rounds of sanctions have been issued against officials and entities in connection with the crackdown on Iranian protesters since September.
Canada also prohibited access to 10,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members in October.
Iranian human rights activists are tracking the protests and have reported that at least 426 people have been murdered and more than 17,400 have been arrested as the Iranian government attempts to crack down on them.
