Mahsa Amini, seized and reportedly beaten by “morality police” on September 13, collapsed and died three days later
The European Union has expanded sanctions on Iran’s regime over its deadly repression of nationwide protests, now in their ninth week.
The EU added 29 individuals and three entities to its sanctions list over “their role in the death of Mahsa Amini” —- the young woman whose death in police custody on September 16 sparked the protests —- “and the violent response to the recent demonstrations”.
The bloc’s foreign policy head, Josep Borrell, said, “The EU strongly condemns the unacceptable violent crackdown of protesters. We stand with the Iranian people and support their right to protest peacefully and voice their demands and views freely.”
Among those sanctioned with travel bans and asset freezes are the four members of the “morality police” unit squad that seized and reportedly beat Amini over “inappropriate attire”; provincial heads of the Iranian Law Enforcement Forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps; and Brig. Gen. Kiyumars Heidari, the Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces; Vahid Mohammad Naser Majid, the head of Iran’s Cyber-Police; and Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who is in charge of the LEF.
Iran State outlet Press TV is cited for its production and broadcast of the forced confessions of detainees.
The EU has now sanctioned 126 Iranian individuals and 11 entities over abuses of human rights.
The European Council concluded on Monday’s statement:
People in Iran, as anywhere else, have the right to peacefully protest and this right must be ensured in all circumstances.
The EU urges Iran to immediately stop the violent crackdown against peaceful protesters, to free those detained, and to ensure the free flow of information, including internet access. Furthermore, the EU urges Iran to clarify the number of deaths and arrested, to hold those responsible accountable and provide due process to all detainees. The killing of Mahsa Amini must be also investigated in an independent and transparent manner and any proved responsible for her death must be held accountable.
The UK followed the EU with sanctions on 24 Iranians, including Communications Minister Issa Zarepour, head of Cyper-Police Naser Majid, and local law enforcement and Revolutionary Guards officials.
The Foreign Office designated Zarepour and Naser Majid over restrictions on the Internet and social media platforms.
The security personnel were blacklisted over the murder of at least 66 worshippers and protesters in Zahedan in southeast Iran on September 30; the killing of scores of civilians in Kurdistan in the northeast; and the use of live ammunition and tear gas and detentions of students at Tehran’s Shaif University.
Hosein Ronaghi’s physical condition is degrading fast in prison after his hospital stay was cut short by the regime thugs, says his family
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/ronaqi-hussein-condition-in-prison/32136176.html
Three more protesters have been sentenced to death….
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/iran-judiciary-system-death-sentence-for-three-other-protesters/32133655.html
Newsweek issues a correction to a false article that caused Canada’s PM to make a mistake: https://www.newsweek.com/iran-votes-execute-protesters-says-rebels-need-hard-lesson-1757931
“Correction 11/15/22, 12:05 p.m. ET: This article and headline were updated to remove the reference to the Iranian Parliament voting for death sentences. A majority of the parliament supported a letter to the judiciary calling for harsh punishments of protesters, which could include the death penalty.”
I had contacted Newsweek to complain and, to their credit, they reacted quickly:
Dear Reza Esfandiari,
Your email was passed on to Newsweek’s senior editorial team. Thank you very much for getting in touch and for bringing this to our attention. It is our policy to always correct factual errors and to do so openly – as we have done in this case.
Kind regards
—
Newsweek Standards
Sune Rasmussen of the WSJ has denounced the proliferation of fake news as helping the Islamic Republic: https://twitter.com/SuneEngel/status/1592503204423827457
“The Islamic Republic seeks to gain support from the Iranian population by claiming to be a victim of Western propaganda and lies. Nothing helps this claim more than an unfounded allegation by a Western head of state that is so easily dismissed.”
Ian Bremmer apologizes for retweeting misinformation about deaths sentences for thousands of protesters: https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1592622881066094594
“It’s been brought to my attention that a post i shared yesterday about capital punishment in Iran for 14,000 protesters is unverifiable & likely untrue. I take my comments seriously. bc of that I decided to take the post down to ensure it doesn’t get any additional attention.”
The Cradle explains the debacle in reporting: https://thecradle.co/Article/News/18334
“In the past few days, social media has been flooded with unsubstantiated reports alleging that the Islamic Republic of Iran sentenced 15,000 protesters to death in the wake of street protests and violent riots sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. The misleading allegations largely stem from a 6 November report by the UK-based and Saudi-funded Iran International news outlet regarding a letter signed by a majority of Iranian lawmakers.”
Father Says Iranian Officials Pressured Him To Blame Kurdish Groups For Son’s Death
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-draoftadeh-father-son-death-pressure-blame-kurdish-groups/32132148.html
[Editor’s Note: This is a misleading summary of the document. HRANA does *not* that protests have dropped from 140 cities to “just 5”. It says that there have been 140 cities with protests since September 16, and that 5 of these had protests on the most recent day of reporting.
Today, there could well have been protests in far more than 5 cities.]
HRANA shares document on protester numbers and fatalities: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h5-7GfUpi3RHjwKCNCp-bhVpuiYtUEc4kjWRGW5ZM9Y/edit
It claims 345 civilians have been killed but has only verified 185. It also claims 40 members of the security forces have been slain.
The report states that protests affected 140 cities (there are 1245 in total) across Iran but have since dropped to just 5 in recent days.
Protests and strikes at the main isfehan smelting plant
https://twitter.com/AzadEttehad/status/1592523857839419393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1592523857839419393%7Ctwgr%5E8c793d180833458f7a45572c53dcca6b7cea4871%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.radiofarda.com%2Fa%2F32042577.html
[Editor’s Note: This is a distortion of the developments.
What happened is that a large majority of Iranian MPs adopted a resolution which could lead to any detained protester being sentenced to death.
Reliable news outlets — including EA — are reporting that the first death sentence has been handed down on a protester. They are not saying that 15,000 death sentences have been imposed.]
Iran didn’t sentence 15K protesters to death: https://expressfreedirectory.com/iran-didnt-sentence-15k-protesters-to-death/
At least someone is debunking what the likes of CNN and Newsweek are “reporting”
Trudeau deletes tweet that cited false information as it denounced the Iranian regime: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-deletes-tweet-iran-1.6652452
“The message castigated Iran for handing down the death penalty to “nearly 15,000 protesters” — but the number of those facing death, which has circulated on social media since the weekend, has been widely discredited as disinformation.”
‘Disinformation at the highest level’: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed for tweeting, then deleting, false Iran news: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trudeau-iran-tweet-false-execution-181750421.html
“Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing harsh criticism on social media for posting, and then deleting, a tweet about Iran, which contained false information.”
False claim about Iran protester executions goes viral with help from celebrities and politicians: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/iran-protesters-death-sentencing-viral-verify-iran-rcna57261
Only 20 people have been charged with “Moharebeh” which carries the death sentence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-63621330
Protests continue in several cities and universities. There are also strikes in bazzars in tehran and isfehan….
https://www.radiofarda.com/a/32042577.html
Iran Protesters Refuse to Back Down as 15,000 Face Execution: https://www.newsweek.com/iran-protesters-refuse-back-down-15000-face-execution-1758578
My email to Borrell’s office:
“”The European Union and its member states condemn the continued widespread and disproportionate use of force against peaceful protestors. This is unjustifiable and unacceptable. People in Iran, as anywhere else, have the right to peacefully protest and this right must be ensured in all circumstances.”
Yes, they do. But how does the Council explain the deaths of 45 security officers in Iran if these “protests” were peaceful? How does it explain unprovoked attacks on police stations, paramilitary bases, mosques, banks…and even ambulances? According to a leaked conversation of a BBC Persian reporter, she admits that, “the level of violence from these young people lately, it scares me.” These are probably the most violent “protests” in Iran’s modern history, and yet you portray the protesters as all innocent and peaceful. You wouldn’t allow people to make a “jungle” out of your “garden”. So why are Iranian police not allowed to respond in kind to these violent disturbances?
reza, you definitely blew it by “writing” an email to Borrell like this.
You should have waited until next week, and bring all these points in the GALA that all heads of state are attending, and surely they must be inviting you in person. Though, not sure if Biden will be there. You could embarrass them all in person, they would have no place to hide, they would have to head to your demands.
Call for protests on Nov 15th-17th: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FhjN_GvXkA0G5MO?format=jpg&name=large
[Editor’s Note: Restatements of the regime line about the mass killing of the worshippers and protesters in Zahedan on September 30.]
“The security personnel were blacklisted over the murder of at least 66 worshippers and protesters in Zahedan in southeast Iran on September 30; the killing of scores of civilians in Kurdistan in the northeast; and the use of live ammunition and tear gas and detentions of students at Tehran’s Sharif University.”
Live ammunition was not used at Sharif. Police used paintball guns. The Zahedan incident is completely misrepresented by Amnesty and HRANA – the source for the misinformation is a Baluchi group linked to the terror group, Jaish-ul-Adl, which tries to claim police entered the mosque and shot worshippers. According to the security council for the province, 35 people were killed on September 30th as described below: https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/715509
“After the conclusion of the Sunni Friday prayer in Zahedan city, a group of people attacked Police Station 16 in the vicinity of the Friday prayers prayer hall and planned to occupy it. During this attack, due to the conflict between the attackers and the defense forces of the police station, unfortunately, some compatriots lost their lives or were injured. After this incident, a number of armed people took advantage of the inflammatory atmosphere and attacked citizens and various places, set fire and looted public and private property, and clashed with the security forces. A number of security and military forces were also martyred.” The video of the attack is available here: https://www.aparat.com/v/M28Ed
Iranian security forces have also stated that, “After the Friday prayer in Zahedan, some suggested that it was a riot, but in fact an armed conflict took place where people stormed the police station and injured five of our colleagues. Two of them were wounded by bullets. This shows the nature of the events on Friday, but in fact the disturbance was not the only one, and we were faced with an attack of several hundred people towards the police station, and rioters were punching and kicking the door of the police station in the square. At the scene of the attack on the police station, the police exercised utmost restraint so as not to shoot at the people, but there were armed people in the crowd who caused a conflict, and we do not deny that people were shot in the streets leading to the place of prayer.” https://www.etemadonline.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9/578669-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%AB%D9%87-%DA%A9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86
New footage has emerged showing that a bus was used to ram the wall of the police station: https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/1423602