The U.S. Sanctions 12 More Iranian Officials in Relation to the 'Mahsa Law'

On the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police and the start of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, the U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned 12 officials of the Islamic Republic involved in suppressing civil protests in Iran. According to a report published on Wednesday, September 19, these sanctions are being implemented in coordination with Australia and Canada, two years after Mahsa Amini's death, and include 'members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, prison officials, and individuals involved in deadly repression abroad.' The report adds that some of the sanctioned individuals today are responsible for human rights violations, such as the killing and violent suppression of protesting prisoners, torture and sexual assault against prisoners, depriving prisoners of medical care, and abducting regime critics from abroad. The sanctioned individuals include Ahmadreza Azadeh (head of Sepidar prison and former head of Zahedan prison), Mostafa Bazvand (commander of the Babolsar IRGC), Alireza Babaei (director general of Isfahan prisons), Hamid Khoram Del (commander of the Fath Corps in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad), Gholamreza Roushan (director general of Razavi Khorasan prisons and former director general of Khuzestan prisons), along with Javad Ghafar Hadadi, Mahmoud Baghlani, Ali Malek Sahakoui, and Hamid Zarei Kajusangi, from the IRGC's repressive forces, and Yahya Hosseini Panjaki, from the repressive forces of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence. The status of the 'Mahsa Law'; '500 Iranian individuals and entities' have been sanctioned during Biden's administration. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, announced yesterday the imposition of U.S. sanctions against 500 Iranian entities and individuals during Joe Biden's presidency, stating that the White House continues to work on the 'Mahsa Law.' The U.S. House of Representatives passed the 'Mahsa Law' for the second time on April 20 of this year as part of the '21st Century Peace Act' alongside a series of other proposals. President Joe Biden also signed the 'Mahsa Law' four days later, making it effective. According to this law, the U.S. President is required to target all senior officials of the Islamic Republic who violate human rights, including the Supreme Leader and the President of Iran, for sanctions. This proposal also obligates the U.S. government to submit a report to Congress every 90 days regarding individuals responsible for human rights violations in Iran, including Khamenei and Raisi and their associated offices and entities. Following Mahsa Amini's death in custody of the morality police in September 2022, the U.S. government, along with its allies, particularly the European Union, announced sanctions against those involved in suppressing popular protests. The U.S. Treasury Department's report on Wednesday states that after the 'unjustified killing' of Mahsa Jina Amini in custody of the morality police, the Iranian regime has continued its systematic violation of the human rights of the Iranian people. The statement further adds that the voices of the Iranian people, who demand fundamental freedoms, deserve to be heard: 'The United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to promote accountability for the Islamic Republic regarding human rights violations.'