US Sanctions Two Perpetrators of Mahshahr Marsh Massacre
The commander of police forces in Khuzestan province and the commander of police forces in Mahshahr are on the new US sanctions list. They have been identified as key figures in the bloody suppression of dozens of young protesters in Mahshahr marshes. Pompeo wrote that we will not forget the crimes of these agents.
The names of two police commanders of the Islamic Republic appear on the new US sanctions blacklist. Brigadier General Heydar Abbaszadeh, commander of police forces in Khuzestan province, and Colonel Reza Papi, commander of police forces in Mahshahr, have been sanctioned by the US State Department for gross and flagrant human rights violations during November 2019 protests. They and members of their immediate families will be barred from entering the United States, and their possible assets and accounts in the country will be blocked.
Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, wrote on Twitter: “Today I sanctioned Heydar Abbaszadeh and Reza Papi for their role in gross human rights violations by Iran’s security forces and other perpetrators of the regime’s oppression. We will never forget their crimes.”
In a statement by the US State Department on this occasion, it stated: “One year ago, as the Iranian regime imposed a digital blackout to hide evidence of its savage crackdown during last November’s protests in Mahshahr, approximately 148 Iranian civilians were killed in that city. Protesters and passersby were targeted by snipers from rooftops, tracked and encircled by armored vehicles, and sprayed with machine gun fire. When protesters took refuge in the surrounding marshes, the regime’s forces set fire to that area and then shot at those attempting to escape. When their families tried to retrieve the remains of their loved ones, Iranian authorities demanded hundreds of dollars for each bullet that had struck their bodies.”
In this statement, countries that believe in freedom of expression and freedom of assembly have been called upon to condemn the gross human rights violations in Iran and impose consequences on the Islamic Republic: “The Iranian regime maintains its power through relentless pressure without regard for the welfare of the Iranian people. The United States will continue to stand with the Iranian people and calls on the regime to treat its people with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
The statement by the US Secretary of State was released hours after the announcement of sanctions against the Minister of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, the head and deputies of the Foundation of the Oppressed, and dozens of people and companies related to this foundation. The US Treasury Department described this foundation as a source of power, wealth, and influence for Khamenei and his surrounding network.
Reuters reported that the new sanctions may be among the final steps of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign before leaving the White House and handing over responsibility to Joe Biden. The news agency had reported a week earlier that Washington intended to sanction several officials responsible for suppressing people on the anniversary of November protests.
Source: DW
