On Monday, the European Union decided to impose sanctions on eight Iranian security officials as part of the violent suppression of the November 2019 demonstrations, according to a statement by the European Council .
The decision to freeze assets and prevent the granting of entry visas, which comes into effect as soon as it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, comes at a sensitive time while the European Foreign Ministry is conducting mediation to revive the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program concluded in 2015 between the major international powers and Tehran.
The European Union decided to extend until April 13, 2022, the measures it imposed since 2011 in response to the serious violations of human rights in Iran, and Monday added “eight persons and three entities to this sanctions list for their role in the violent response to the November 2019 demonstrations in Iran.”
The list originally included 89 individuals and four entities.
The eight additional persons sanctioned are Iranian militia leaders, police and special forces, and the former director of Evin Prison.
The three entities are the Prisons of Evin, Chafuya and Raja Shah, according to the statement.
The sanctions include a travel ban and an asset freeze.
In addition, the European Union is preventing Iran from importing equipment that could be used for internal repressive purposes and audiovisual equipment for surveillance.
On November 15, 2019, demonstrations broke out in several Iranian cities, hours after the announcement of a large increase in fuel prices.
The protest movement reached about 100 cities, including Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan.
According to Amnesty International, more than 300 people were killed during the three days of the crackdown, which Tehran denied.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that at least 7,000 people appeared to have been arrested.
During this period, the Iranian authorities blocked access to the Internet.
