{"id":238268,"date":"2021-04-20T06:56:20","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T11:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=238268"},"modified":"2023-02-07T23:26:32","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T22:26:32","slug":"europe-is-off-to-a-good-start-with-sanctions-but-soon-must-target-irans-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/blog\/op-ed\/europe-is-off-to-a-good-start-with-sanctions-but-soon-must-target-irans-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe Is Off to a Good Start With Sanctions, but Soon Must Target Iran\u2019s Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EU<\/p>\n

By: Alejo Vidal Quadras<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week the European Union imposed new human rights-related sanctions on eight officials from Iran\u2019s paramilitary and security forces. Among the targets of the latest asset freezes and travel, restrictions are the top commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps<\/a>, Hossein Salami. The EU\u2019s announcement correctly notes that Salami played a prominent role in the crackdown on dissent following the start of a nationwide uprising in November 2019, but the ultimate value of the associated sanctions will depend in large part on whether European demands for accountability stop there or continue to work their way of the chain of command.<\/p>\n

The new sanctions<\/a> are unfortunately the only significant measures implemented by the EU in response to the crackdown that took place nearly a year and a half ago. The long delay reflects a Western aversion to a conflict that had already been on display for six years beforehand. No other sanctions have targeted human rights violations since 2013, even though countless abuses have been recorded during that time.<\/p>\n

Whereas some Western policymakers were hopeful that that year\u2019s election of the regime\u2019s President Hassan Rouhani would set the stage for a moderating trend in the Iranian government, the reality of the situation is arguably the opposite. Since 2013, the theocratic dictatorship has moved to expand enforcement of many of its most hardline principles, as well as its restrictions on the public expression of dissent. The consequences include stricter gender segregation in Iranian society, countless prison sentences for women who defied the countries forced veiling laws, greater poverty and disenfranchisement for marginalized groups, and consolidation of government control over both traditional media and the internet.<\/p>\n

The second-tier consequences include a general increase in a public backlash against the repressive system and the November 2019<\/a> uprising was the apex of this trend. It was preceded in January 2018 by another nationwide uprising, albeit one that was somewhat smaller and that encountered slower and less intense reprisals from regime authorities. Still, the death toll from that initial uprising was estimated at several dozen, with several individuals having reportedly been tortured to death in Iranian jails. This paled in comparison to the impact of the second uprising, which involved the IRGC opening fire on crowds of protesters in many of the almost 200 participating localities.<\/p>\n

Amnesty International very quickly reported that there was clear evidence of the regime\u2019s gunmen discharging their weapons with fatal intent, so it came as little surprise to close observers when the National Council of Resistance of Iran estimated the death toll at around 1,500 individuals. This figure was eventually confirmed by Reuters News Agency, by way of three anonymous sources in the Iranian Intelligence Ministry. Officially, that government entity maintains that no more than 250 people were killed, but the NCRI<\/a> has identified more than 800 individuals by name.<\/p>\n

Independent reports of the crackdown stand side-by-side with the regime\u2019s attempted cover-up in underscoring two conclusions. Firstly, foreign intervention over such human rights abuses is necessary because it is clear that the Iranian regime is not going to hold its own operatives accountable. And secondly, the absence of such intervention exposes the Iranian people to serious risks, since domestic activists are clearly committed to exposing the regime\u2019s crimes, whether or not they are in a position to personally stave off more of the same.<\/p>\n

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Iran Protests: Nationwide Uprising in Iran- November 2019<\/div><\/div>
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