European Union to Sanction 9 Iranians for State-Sponsored Kidnapping of European Nationals

The foreign ministers of the European Union are set to impose sanctions on '9 Iranians' related to what the EU describes as a 'state-sponsored kidnapping policy' on Monday, April 25. Reuters reported this news on Friday, April 22, citing two European diplomats. In recent years, the Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have detained dozens of dual nationals and foreign citizens. Diplomats say that at least 20 European citizens are among those detained. Western countries have long accused the Iranian government of kidnapping their nationals on charges of 'espionage' and 'actions against national security' to use them as bargaining chips for concessions. France, which still has two of its citizens detained in Iran and has described their conditions as akin to 'torture', has recently made efforts to increase pressure on Iran. Jean-Noël Barrot, the French Foreign Minister, stated in the parliament on April 13 that 'we will increase pressure on the Iranian regime for the release of French citizens.' He did not specify the number of Europeans imprisoned in Iran but mentioned, 'On Monday [April 25], we will adopt additional sanctions against Iranian officials responsible for this state-sponsored kidnapping policy.' A senior European diplomat and a second diplomat indicated that 9 individuals responsible for this policy in the Islamic Republic will be added to the EU sanctions list. They did not name the individuals to be sanctioned. The senior European diplomat stated, 'We really need to act against this policy where individuals are arrested in the streets and imprisoned just to obtain something from certain European countries, and that is exactly what we are doing now.' The UN Special Rapporteur called for the immediate release of 'all hostages around the world.' The French Foreign Minister had previously stated on April 13 that Paris would soon file a complaint against Iran in the International Court of Justice due to the detention of two French nationals. Mr. Barrot, referring to Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who were arrested in May 2022 on charges of attempting to incite labor protests, said this complaint would be filed for 'violating the right to consular protection.' The UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment reported last year that countries such as the Islamic Republic, China, Russia, Myanmar, the UAE, Venezuela, and North Korea arbitrarily detain foreign nationals to use them as bargaining chips for financial or political concessions. Alice Jill Edwards, in her report, also mentioned at least 66 instances of 'state-sponsored kidnapping' by Iran since 2010 and emphasized that journalists, aid workers, academics, business travelers, and human rights defenders are particularly targeted for state-sponsored kidnapping in Iran.