United Kingdom sanctions Iran's morality police over Mahsa Amini’s death

The United Kingdom has decided to impose sanctions on Iran’s morality police after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody. In the official statement, the UK Foreign, Commonwealthand Development Office (FCDO) said along with the organisation, additional sanctions will also be imposed on its chief, Mohammed Gachi, and the head of its Tehran division, Haj Ahmad Mirzaei.

“The UK stands with the people of Iran, who are bravely calling for accountability from their government and for their fundamental human rights to be respected,” said British foreign secretary, James Cleverly.

“These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities – we will hold you to account for your repression,” he added while explaining the sanctions according to Reuters.

The announcement came after similar steps were taken by the United States and the European Union.

Amini was detained by the morality police in Iran after flouting hijab laws and later that day, she was declared dead in the hospital with a post-mortem report showing injuries to her head. Since then, protests have erupted across the country with women taking off and burning their hijabs.

The British foreign secretary also said that the students in Iran have come under attack due to the country’s military and made it clear that they will support the ones taking part in the protests.

Additionally, five Iranian officials were handed travel bans for suppressing the 2019 protests. As a result, they will not be able to travel to the UK and all their assets in the country will be frozen.