ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Kingdom’s foreign secretary on Friday announced new sanctions on senior decision makers in the Iranian regime in connection with human rights violations and in coordination with other global powers, a day before the first anniversary of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini’s death.
Twenty-two-year-old Kurdish woman Amini died while in police custody on September 16, 2022. She had been arrested for allegedly wearing a lax hijab. Her death sparked Iran’s longest protest movement in the past four decades. Protesters chanting “Jin Jiyan Azadi” (Woman Life Freedom) called for greater freedoms for women, but the movement grew into an anti-government revolution as the authorities responded with violence.
“A year on from Mahsa Amini’s tragic death at the hands of Iran’s Morality Police, I commend the bravery of Iranian women as they continue to fight for fundamental freedoms,” said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, adding that the UK and its allies will continue to support the women of Iran and call out Tehran for its repressive laws.
The fresh sanctions targeted Iran’s minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and his deputy, Tehran’s mayor, spokesperson for the Iranian police, and an internet cloud service accused of partnering with the government to disconnect the Iranian people from the global internet. The UK’s sanctions are imposed in coordination with the US, Canada, and Australia.
American President Joe Biden on Friday said the US has sanctioned more than 70 Iranian officials and would be announcing new sanctions.
“Today - as we remember Mahsa’s tragic death - we reaffirm our commitment to the courageous people of Iran who are carrying on her mission. They are inspiring the world with their resilience and resolve. And together with our allies and partners, we stand with them,” he said.
“Iranians alone will determine the fate of their country, but, the United States remains committed to standing with them - including providing tools to support Iranians’ ability to advocate for their own future,” he added.
The Woman Life Freedom protesters were met with a violent crackdown by Iranian security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its paramilitary Basij, resulting in over 500 killed and thousands injured. The Islamic republic became the subject of heavy international criticism and sanctioning for its repression of the demonstrators.
The European Union on Thursday called on Iran to abide by the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Tehran is party, and urged the Iranian regime to eliminate “all forms of systemic discrimination” against women.
The Australian government on Wednesday slapped financial sanctions and travel bans on several Iranian figures and entities “responsible for the oppression of people in Iran,” including a police spokesperson, the cyber police, and state-backed Press TV.
Cleverly in July announced the UK’s intention to create a new sanctions regime against Iran that will grant the UK greater powers to counter Tehran’s “hostile” and “destabilizing” activities in the UK and the rest of the world.
With the first anniversary of Amini’s death approaching, the Iranian regime has recently begun taking a series of measures to curb the possibility of renewed demonstrations, including arresting activists and relatives of killed protesters, setting up checkpoints, and deploying security forces across restive provinces.
Hengaw Human Rights Organization on Thursday reported that “a significant number” of armed IRGC forces were patrolling the streets of Kurdish cities Marivan and Sanandaj on motorcycles, in an effort to intimidate anyone planning to protest.
Updated at 5:56pm
