The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Friday that Washington has imposed a new set of sanctions on 29 individuals and entities linked to the "violent repression" of protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini last year while in the custody of the morality police. The department stated that the sanctions target 18 senior members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces, as well as the head of the Iranian Prisons Organization. The sanctions also affect officials involved in cutting off internet services in Iran, along with several media outlets.
Brian Nelson, the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated in a release, ahead of the first anniversary of Amini's death, which falls tomorrow, Saturday: "The United States, alongside the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other international allies and partners, will continue to take collective action against those who prevent Iranians from exercising their human rights."
Britain, in a separate statement, announced sanctions against senior Iranian decision-makers implementing a law that enforces the hijab in Iran, including the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, his deputy, the Mayor of Tehran, and a spokesperson for the Iranian police.
The U.S. sanctions list included law enforcement spokesperson Saeed Montazeri Mahdi, other leaders in these forces and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as the head of the Iranian Prisons Organization, Gholam Ali Mohammadi.
The sanctions list also featured CEO of Doran Software Technologies, Ali Reza Abdi Najad, and state-controlled media institutions such as "Press TV" and the Tasnim and Fars news agencies.
Amini, a Kurdish Iranian, died on September 16, 2022, at the age of 22 after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran's mandatory dress code. Her death sparked months of anti-government protests and represented a significant manifestation of opposition to Iranian authorities in years.
