EU hits Iranian officials with sanctions over human rights abuses
The eight individuals sanctioned include the head of the Revolutionary Guards and the commander of the Basij forces.
The European Union slapped sanctions on eight Iranian officials and three prisons on Monday over their roles in the deadly crackdown on the peaceful protests that erupted in 2019.
The sanctions on militia commanders and police officers, announced by the EU’s Official Journal on Monday, are the first imposed by the European bloc since 2013.
A sudden increase in gasoline prices prompted widespread anti-government demonstrations in November 2019. The violent response by security forces killed at least 304 people, the United Nations says.
Amnesty International documented the deaths of at least 23 children killed at the hands of Iranian security forces, most shot dead when police fired live ammunition into the crowds.
