The Council of the European Union has added five Iranian Revolutionary Court judges and an Iranian hacker to its sanctions list for their involvement in “serious human rights violations.”
The newly sanctioned individuals include Mostafa Narimani, Presiding Judge of Branch 3 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court; Abolfazl Ameri Sharabi, Judge of Branch 1191 of the Tehran Criminal Court of Appeal and former Deputy Prosecutor of Arak; Mehdi Rasekhi, Presiding Judge of Branch 3 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court; Mohammadreza Amozad, Presiding Judge of Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court and Advisory Judge to Branch 15; and Mohammadreza Tavakoli, Presiding Judge of Branch 1 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court. The EU Council designated these five judges for presiding over trials targeting religious minorities and political dissidents.
The EU also sanctioned Nima Salehi, founder and leading figure of the “Ashiyane” cyber group, for his organization’s collaboration with Iran’s Cyber Police (FATA) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ashiyane has been implicated in conducting cyberattacks against domestic opponents, reformists, and foreign institutions, thereby facilitating the suppression of the free flow of information.
“These sanctions target judges responsible for serious human rights violations,” declared Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She emphasized that, as Tehran escalates its domestic crackdown, the EU will continue to hold those responsible to account.
The Council of the European Union noted that the five judges handed down capital punishment, lengthy prison sentences, floggings, fines, and supplementary penalties in cases involving political opponents and religious minorities. Many of these sentences were handed down in connection with the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protest movement following the death of Mahsa Amini.
This latest decision brings the total number of individuals and entities subject to EU human rights sanctions related to Iran to 269 individuals and 53 entities. The restrictive measures include asset freezes, travel bans to EU member states, and a prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to the listed persons and entities.
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