New European sanctions package against oppressors on the 33rd day of the Iranian National Revolution
The European Union showed an unprecedented response to the repression of protesters in Iran by sanctioning 15 officials and 6 institutions of the Islamic Republic for serious human rights violations and adding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the list of terrorist groups.
In response to the bloody suppression of protests in Iran that began late last month and is known as the "Iranian National Revolution," the European Union decided to take more decisive measures at a meeting of foreign ministers of member states on Thursday, January 29, 2021. This action was taken while the number of victims of the protests, according to media reports and human rights organizations, has reached more than 30,000 and a wave of domestic and international protests against Tehran has been created.
The EU sanctions package includes 15 Iranian government officials for their direct role in suppressing protests and human rights abuses. It also targets six other entities that the EU says have been involved in the “violent” crackdown on protesters, restricting internet access, censorship, and information suppression.
According to the European Union, these sanctions will include: "the freezing of assets within the Union, a ban on travel to EU member states, and financial and economic sanctions against relevant individuals and organizations."
The list of individuals sanctioned in this package includes prominent security and government figures, some of whom were named in the initial EU report, including:
- Eskandar Momeni, Minister of Interior
- Mohammad Movahdi Azad, Attorney General of the country
- Majid Faiz Jafari, Chief of Public Security Police
- Ahmad Ali Faizollahi, Commander of Special Forces
- Iman Afshari, Judge, Branch 26
- And several commanders of the police force and the Revolutionary Guard in the provinces and cities.
In a very important and unprecedented move, the European Union has agreed to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran as a terrorist organization. This decision, which has been under discussion for several months, was finally adopted at a meeting of EU foreign ministers with the support of 27 member states, and its final legal process will soon be implemented.
This terrorist list means that the IRGC will be considered alongside groups such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations, and all official members of the IRGC will also be subject to extensive sanctions.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has reacted strongly to the decision, calling it a hostile, illegal and detrimental action to European interests. Iranian officials have threatened that they may take countermeasures, including adopting policies against countries that have adopted these sanctions.
At the same time, some European governments welcomed the decision, with the Dutch Prime Minister describing it as a decisive response to the bloody crackdown on protesters.
The EU's decision comes alongside similar sanctions from the US, Canada and Australia, which have previously designated the IRGC as a terrorist group or the target of broad sanctions.
Political observers say that this step could lead to increased diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran and weaken the IRGC's position in international relations, although its precise consequences in other areas (including energy and regional security) are yet to be predicted.
On the 33rd day of the Iranian National Revolution, the European Union adopted one of its strongest collective responses to the suppression of protests in Iran; a package of sanctions was approved against officials and institutions related to the suppression of protesters, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was officially placed on the European Union's list of terrorist groups, which is considered a symbolic and influential step in political and human rights developments in the region.
