European Union Extends Sanctions Against 82 Iranian Officials Due to 'Serious Human Rights Violations'

On Tuesday, April 22, the European Union extended sanctions against Iran for 'serious human rights violations' for another year. These sanctions were first imposed six years ago against Iranian officials. According to Reuters, since the nuclear agreement between Tehran and six world powers was reached in 2015, the EU adopted a new approach towards Iran, ending a decade of financial strictness and trade sanctions. Since then, many delegations from EU member countries have been sent to Iran, and multiple trade agreements have been concluded with the Islamic Republic. However, on Tuesday, the EU extended its sanctions against 82 individuals and one legal entity in Iran for human rights violations until April 13, 2018 (April 24, 1397). According to this decision, the assets and properties of Iranian officials accused of human rights violations will remain frozen, and they will not be allowed to travel to any EU member countries. The EU has also banned the export of any censorship or surveillance equipment that 'may be used for domestic repression' to Iran. Reuters adds that the EU's efforts to strengthen relations with Iran have become more difficult since Donald Trump took office in the United States, as the new U.S. president has taken a tougher stance towards Tehran compared to his predecessor Barack Obama. The sanctions against 82 Iranian officials for human rights violations were first imposed in 2011, which included asset freezes and travel bans. Among those on the EU's sanctions list are Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Hassan Firouzabadi, former chief of staff of the armed forces, Ali Saidi, representative of the Supreme Leader in the Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Taeb, head of the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence organization, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, former commander of the Basij, Ismail Ahmadi Moghadam, former police chief, as well as Sadegh Larijani, head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, first deputy of the judiciary, Saeed Mortazavi, former Tehran prosecutor, and several judges of revolutionary courts. The EU's human rights sanctions were imposed in 2011 amid the peak of repression against citizens and opponents of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by the security and judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic. The intensity of the repression in Iran was such that the UN Human Rights Council appointed a special rapporteur for Iran, but Tehran refused to cooperate with him. As human rights organizations have reported in recent years, despite the election of Hassan Rouhani in 2013, the wave of arrests of political, civil, and labor activists and the issuance of heavy sentences against them continues. The United States has also imposed similar sanctions against judicial, security, and political officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran.