The European Union’s 12 April 2011 legislation and 10 October 2011 implementing decision levied targeted sanctions against 61 Iranian persons responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. The list, as currently formulated, sanctions present and past government officials as well as those affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and its paramilitary wing, the Basij; members of the Iranian judiciary (including judges and prosecutors); and persons with leadership roles in Iran’s prison apparatus.
Justice for Iran (JFI) endeavors to provide a comprehensive and detailed assessment of what further measures the European Union Commission can take in its enforcement of targeted sanctions against Iranian officials for serious human rights abuses in Iran.
This report aims to do this by:
– Outlining concerns about the measures undertaken
– Outlining concerns in respect to the enforcement of the sanctions
– Providing an overview of the impact and effects of the legislation from its date of passage to the date of publication of this monitoring report.
– Making a series of recommendations on how to improve upon the problems outlined in the report.
In our opinion and after reviewing the regulations, in order for the human rights sanctions to be effective in the case of Iran and be able to improve the HR situation in Iran, the following recommendations must be implemented. It is our belief that so far, the sanctions were not as effective as they were expected to be.
JFI recommends that a) the time frame be expanded to include violators from earlier administrations, b) geographical diversity be expanded to crimes committed in predominantly minority areas of Iran, c) review names of individuals to be included and introduce more consistency on merit-based claims, d) get nation states to cooperate by training investigative resources on who family members and close associates are and how closely they are linked to the sanctioned individual, e) and extend bans to corporations and entities.
To read the full report, click here
