Iran's Senior Media Officials Remain on EU Sanctions List

The European Court of Justice has rejected the appeal of Mohammad Sarafraz, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), and Hamidreza Emadi, head of the Press TV news room, keeping their names on the European Union's human rights sanctions list. According to a group called 'Justice for Iran', these two Iranian officials will continue to be targeted by EU sanctions for 'human rights violations' due to their 'role in broadcasting forced confessions of political prisoners'. Reports indicate that this is the first time the European Court of Justice has provided a judicial opinion regarding the human rights cases of Iranian officials. Mr. Sarafraz, who recently took over the leadership of Iran's state radio and television, has been on the EU's human rights sanctions list since 2013. This list also includes the names of a group of Iranian judges and the head of Evin prison from 2012. When Sarafraz entered this list, he was the director of the international section of IRIB and head of Press TV. He has been accused of allowing Press TV, alongside Iran's state radio and television, to collaborate with security organizations in broadcasting 'forced confessions of detainees', including that of Maziar Bahari, an Iranian-Canadian journalist. Sarafraz has claimed that the sanctions against him are 'unjust and baseless'. According to Fars News Agency, Hamidreza Emadi also stated in July 2013 that 'the EU has attached various accusations to us without providing evidence'. The rejection of the requests by Sarafraz and Emadi to be removed from the sanctions list means that they will continue to be barred from entering any EU country, and all their accounts and assets in the EU will remain frozen.