EU imposes new round of sanctions on Iranian officials over handling of protests

The European Union has decided to impose a new round of sanctions on Iranian officials who were accused of repression of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini. "Foreign ministers adopted further sanctions against 29 individuals & 3 entities in #Iran due to their role in the death of #MahsaAmini and the violent response to ongoing demonstrations," the EU tweeted.

Iran handed out its first death penalty over the protests that have rocked the nation following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. An unnamed accused was sentenced to death by a court in Tehran over “setting fire to a government building, disturbing public order, assembly and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security”, as well as for being “an enemy of God and corruption on earth”

According to the official judiciary website Mizan Online, similar charges exist against several other accused and considering Iran’s record on capital punishment, they are also expected to face similar punishments. As of now, Iran is only behind China when it comes to handing out death penalties.

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The judgements have caused panic among the human rights groups in Iran who have predicted hard actions from the authorities and death sentences for some well-known social activists.

Another Tehran court handed prison sentences between five to 10 years to people who were charged for “gathering and conspiring to commit crimes against national security and disturbing public order”.

Amini was detained by Iran’s morality police for flouting the hijab law and later, she was found dead with post-mortem reports showing injuries to her head and body. It resulted in wide-spread protests all around the country with women burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in public.

Following the protests, Reuters reported that over 2000 people have been charged with various offenses and most of them have already been sentenced to life in prison. The death toll has also increased in the past few days with Iran Human Rights putting the number somewhere around 350.

Iran handed out its first death penalty over the protests that have rocked the nation following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. An unnamed accused was sentenced to death by a court in Tehran over “setting fire to a government building, disturbing public order, assembly and conspiracy to commit a crime against national security”, as well as for being “an enemy of God and corruption on earth”

According to the official judiciary website Mizan Online, similar charges exist against several other accused and considering Iran’s record on capital punishment, they are also expected to face similar punishments. As of now, Iran is only behind China when it comes to handing out death penalties.

The judgements have caused panic among the human rights groups in Iran who have predicted hard actions from the authorities and death sentences for some well-known social activists.

Another Tehran court handed prison sentences between five to 10 years to people who were charged for “gathering and conspiring to commit crimes against national security and disturbing public order”.

Amini was detained by Iran’s morality police for flouting the hijab law and later, she was found dead with post-mortem reports showing injuries to her head and body. It resulted in wide-spread protests all around the country with women burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in public.

Following the protests, Reuters reported that over 2000 people have been charged with various offenses and most of them have already been sentenced to life in prison. The death toll has also increased in the past few days with Iran Human Rights putting the number somewhere around 350.