US Sanctions Tehran Province Prison Organization and Brother of Qassem Soleimani

The US Treasury Department on Thursday, April 14, added the General Directorate of Prisons of Tehran Province and Sohrab Soleimani, the former head of the organization, to its sanctions list.

The US Treasury Department stated that these sanctions were imposed due to the participation of this organization and its former head in human rights violations in Iran.

Sean Spicer, spokesman for the White House, also stated in his Thursday press conference, referring to these sanctions, that Sohrab Soleimani is the brother of Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force.

Sohrab Soleimani’s sanctions come at a time when he was removed from managing the General Directorate of Prisons of Tehran Province in June 2016 and was appointed as the acting head of the security and order department of the organization. Sohrab Soleimani headed this organization for nearly 15 years.

The US Treasury Department stated that on April 18, 2014, when security forces and senior officials of Evin Prison raided Ward 350 of the prison, Sohrab Soleimani had direct responsibility. As a result of this raid, more than 30 prisoners were wounded and several were transferred to solitary confinement.

Sean Spicer also said the sanctions against these individuals and entities come at a time when many foreign nationals are imprisoned in Iran. He referred in this regard to Baquer and Siamak Namazi, two Iranian-American citizens.

Baquer and Siamak Namazi, Iranian-American citizens, were each sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court on charges of “cooperating with the hostile US government.”

The US Treasury Department emphasized in its statement that Washington will continue its sanctions against Iran outside the framework of the JCPOA in cases of human rights violations, ballistic missiles, terrorism, and regional instability.

Source: Radio Farda