The EU has defended the decision to sanction 11 officials and 4 Iranian institutions, responsible for the violation of human rights with involvement in the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
The so-called Moral Police in Iran, as well as other law enforcement agencies, have been involved in sanctions, along with the Minister of Information, for his responsibility in disrupting the Internet signal.
Brussels has also called for a full investigation into the girl’s death. However, human rights groups say the sanctions are insufficient.
“Sanctions are welcome in the sense that they hold responsible the perpetrators of human rights violations, especially in Iran, where the judiciary is not independent and where the perpetrators of murder and torture of protesters have never been punished. However, seeing the serious circumstances of these crimes, it is important for the international community to go beyond these sanctions and statements that simply call on the authorities to stop the use of violence, or to carry out investigations”, says Raha Bahreini, lawyer.
Also, member states are considering taking action against Iran regarding the supply of suicide drones that Russia is using in Ukraine.
The latter has reported numerous Russian attacks by Iranian drones in recent weeks, although Iran denies having supplied Russia with such weapons.
“We are closely following the use of drones, we are gathering information and we will react with the tools at our disposal,” said Josep Borrell, EU High Representative.
The sanctions come at a time of strain in Iran-West relations, with the two sides trying to resolve the nuclear issue.