EU renews & updates Iran human rights sanctions

The EU has decided to renew its sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations in Iran for 1 year until 13 April 2017. The sanctions impose an asset freeze and travel ban on listed people and entities, and ban exports to Iran of equipment that may be used for internal repression or monitoring telecommunications. The new measures are Implementing Regulation 2016/556 and Decision (CFSP) 2016/565, and are not affected by the JCPOA, which relates only to the nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.

These measures also de-list Hossein Hamedani, who had been included for being head of an IRGC corps and playing a key role in the violent suppression of protestors, delete a duplicate listing for Malek Ajdar Sharifi, a judge listed for being responsible for the trial of Sakineh Ashtiani, and update the listings of 22 other people.