US sanctions Iranian officials over crackdown on dissidents

The Government of USA announced on Wednesday the imposition of sanctions on twelve Iranian officialsincluding agents of the Revolutionary Guardfor their involvement in the repression of dissent both inside and outside Iran. These punitive measures, which have also been adopted by the United Kingdom and Australia, affect prison officers and secret service agents involved in “lethal operations” abroad, as well as members of the Basij paramilitary force, known for its repressive brutality.

Acting U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Bradley T. Smithrecalled that two years have passed since the “Tragic death of Mahsa Amini” while in custody of the so-called “morality police”Smith lamented that despite peaceful protests by the Iranian people, their leaders have escalated their tactics of violence and coercion.

From Washington it has been denounced that the Human rights violations in Iran have spread from the streets to the country’s prisons. There have been reports of executions of prisoners without due process of law and sexual assaults in women’s prisons. Among those sanctioned is the deputy minister for internal security affairs at the Ministry of Intelligence, Hosseini Panjakiaccused of overseeing “assassination operations” against Iranian dissidents abroad.

The US government has stressed that the “voices of the Iranian people calling for fundamental freedoms deserve to be heard“. In addition, he has assured that he will continue to implement this type of sanctions to bring to justice those responsible for commit rapes against Human Rights. This action underscores the United States’ commitment to the global struggle for respect for fundamental rights and human dignity.