COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING DECISION (CFSP) 2022/1956

17.10.2022 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | LI 269/9 ---|---|---|--- * * * COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING DECISION (CFSP) 2022/1956 of 17 October 2022 implementing Decision 2011/235/CFSP concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Iran THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 31(2) thereof, Having regard to Council Decision 2011/235/CFSP of 12 April 2011 concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Iran (1), and in particular Article 3(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Whereas: (1) | On 12 April 2011, the Council adopted Decision 2011/235/CFSP. ---|--- (2) | On 25 September 2022, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy issued a declaration on behalf of the Union deploring the widespread and disproportionate use of force by the Iranian security forces against nonviolent protestors, which led to high numbers of deaths and injuries. The declaration also stated that those responsible for the killing of Mahsa Amini must be held accountable, and called on the Iranian authorities to ensure transparent and credible investigations to clarify the number of deaths and arrested, release all non-violent protestors and provide due process to all detainees. Furthermore, the declaration stressed that Iran’s decision to severely restrict internet access and block instant messaging platforms blatantly violates freedom of expression. Finally, the declaration stated that the Union will consider all the options at its disposal to address the killing of Mahsa Amini and the way Iranian security forces have responded to the ensuing demonstrations. ---|--- (3) | In this context, and in line with the Union’s commitment to address all issues of concern with Iran, including the human rights situation, eleven persons and four entities should be included in the list of persons and entities subject to restrictive measures set out in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP. ---|--- (4) | Decision 2011/235/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly, ---|--- HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 The Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP is amended as set out in the Annex to this Decision. Article 2 This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. Done at Luxembourg,17 October 2022. For the Council The President J. BORRELL FONTELLES * * * (1) OJ L 100, 14.4.2011, p. 51. * * * ANNEX The following persons and entities are added to the list of persons and entities set out in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP: Persons | Name | Identifying information | Reasons | Date of listing ---|---|---|---|--- ‘96. | ROSTAMI CHESHMEH GACHI Mohammed (a.k.a. ROSTAMI Mohammad) محمد گچی چشمه رستمی (a.k.a. محمد رستمی) | POB: Kermanshah (Iran) DOB: 1976 or 1977 Nationality: Iranian Gender: male National ID No.: 111936 (Iran) Identification No.: 13821 (Iran) Position: Head of Iran’s Morality Police | Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi is the head of Iran’s Morality Police. He was head of the Kermanshah Public Security Police from early 2014 until early 2019 and held senior positions in the Iranian intelligence police. The Morality Police is part of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) and is a special police unit which enforces the strict dress rules for women, including compulsory wearing of a headscarf. The Morality Police has used unlawful force against women for not complying with Iranian hijab laws, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions, excessive violence and torture. On 13 September 2022, the Morality Police arbitrarily arrested 22-year old Mahsa Amini in Tehran, allegedly for wearing a hijab improperly. She was subsequently taken to the Morality Police’s headquarters for an ‘educational and orientation class’. According to reliable reports and witnesses, she was brutally beaten and mistreated in custody, which led to her hospitalisation and to her death on 16 September 2022. The Morality Police’s abusive behaviour is not confined to that incident and has been widely documented. As head of Iran’s Morality Police, Rostami is responsible for the Morality Police’s actions. He therefore bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 97. | RAHIMI Hossein حسین رحیمی | POB: Dodhak village, Mahalat, Central province (Iran) DOB: 1964 Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Rank: Brigadier General Position: Head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Tehran | Brigadier General Hossein Rahimi has been the head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Tehran since 7 August 2017. The LEF’s response to the September 2022 protests in Tehran was particularly harsh. The LEF’s excessive use of violence to repress those protests resulted in the deaths of multiple people. As head of the LEF in Tehran, Rahimi is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 98. | ABDI Abbas عبدی عباس | Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Rank: Colonel Position: Head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Divandarreh | Colonel Abbas Abdi is the head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in the district of Divandarreh. The LEF’s response to the September 2022 protests in Divandarreh was particularly harsh. The LEF’s excessive use of violence to repress those protests resulted in the deaths of multiple people. As head of the LEF in Divandarreh, Abdi is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 99. | MIRZAEI Haj Ahmad (a.k.a. MIRZAEI Hajahmad; MIRZAYI Hajj Ahmad) حاج احمد میرزایی | POB: Tehran (Iran) DOB: 9 February 1957 Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Identification No.: 4268935215 (Iran) Rank: Colonel Position: Head of Iran’s Morality Police in Tehran | Colonel Haj Ahmed Mirzaei has been the head of the Tehran branch of Iran’s Morality Police since 2018. The Morality Police is part of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) and is a special police unit which enforces the strict dress rules for women, including compulsory wearing of a headscarf. The Morality Police has used unlawful force against women for not complying with Iranian hijab laws, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions, excessive violence and torture. On 13 September 2022, the Morality Police arbitrarily arrested 22-year old Mahsa Amini in Tehran, allegedly for wearing a hijab improperly. She was subsequently taken to the Morality Police’s headquarters for an ‘educational and orientation class’. According to reliable reports and witnesses, she was brutally beaten and mistreated in custody, which led to her hospitalisation and to her death on 16 September 2022. The Morality Police’s abusive behaviour is not confined to that incident and has been widely documented. As head of the Morality Police in Tehran, Mirzaei is responsible for the Morality Police’s actions in Tehran, including in its headquarters where Amini was beaten and mistreated. He therefore bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 100. | ZAREPOUR Issa عیسی زارع پور | POB: Eslamabad-e Gharb, Kermanshah Province (Iran) DOB: 1980 Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Minister of Information and Communications Technology | Issa Zarepour has been the Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology since 25 August 2021. In his position, he played a key role in the Iranian government’s decision to systematically violate the Iranian people’s freedom of opinion and expression by imposing restrictions on internet access during the protests that followed the death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022. That action further diminished the already very limited space for civil society actors in Iran, including human rights defenders, to gather objective information and communicate, both amongst themselves and with the outside world. The internet blackout had negative consequences for the enjoyment of human rights in Iran, both directly (namely the impact on freedom of opinion and expression and availability of objective information) and indirectly (namely the increased chance of human rights violations not being documented thereby negatively impacting accountability for human rights violations). As Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Zarepour is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 101. | SEPEHR Mohammad-Hossein محمدحسین سپهر | Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Commander of the Iranian Central Training Base of the General Staff of the Armed Forces | Mohammad-Hossein Sepehr is the Commander of the Central Training Base of the General Staff of the Armed Forces in Tehran. He is a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij Resistance Force (a volunteer paramilitary organisation operating under the IRGC with branches throughout Iran). Sepehr oversees anti-protest training for Iranian security forces and supports a repressive line towards protesters. He is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 102. | SAFARI Sayd Ali صفری سید علی | Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Rank: Colonel Position: Head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Saqqez | Colonel Sayd Ali Safari is the head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Saqqez. The LEF’s response to the September 2022 protests in Saqqez was particularly harsh. The LEF’s excessive use of violence to repress the protests resulted in the deaths of multiple people. As head of the LEF in Saqqez, Safari is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 103. | ADYANI Seyed Alireza (a.k.a. ADIANI Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Alireza) ادیانی سید علیرضا | Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Position: Head of the ideological-political office of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) | Seyed Alireza Adyani is the head of the ideological-political office of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF). Adyani is responsible for defining and implementing rules of engagement for police forces. He stated that the LEF needs to be ‘practical’ and ‘effective’ when dealing with adversaries and cheered the Morality Police for doing its job ‘intensely’. The LEF has used massive brutality against protesters, including those protesting after Mahsa Amini’s death. He is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 104. | AZADI Ali آزادی علی | Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Rank: Second Brigadier General Function: Head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Kurdistan | Second Brigadier General Ali Azadi has been the head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Kurdistan since 2019. During the repression of the September 2022 protests, forces under his command in Kurdistan shot protesters and killed and injured multiple people. He is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 105. | SHALIKAR Mohammed Zaman شالیکار محمد زمان | Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Rank: Colonel Function: Head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Babol, Mazandaran | Colonel Mohammed Zaman Shalikar has been the head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Babol, Mazandaran since 2021. During demonstrations following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, forces under his command shot, injured and killed protesters in Babol, Mazandaran. He is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 106. | HEIDARI Salman حیدری سلمان | Nationality: Iranian Gender: male Rank: Colonel Function: Head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Bukan | Colonel Salman Heidari is the head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) in Bukan. The LEF’s response to the September 2022 protests in Bukan was particularly harsh. The LEF’s excessive use of violence to repress the protests resulted in the death of at least one child and in injuries to multiple people. As head of the LEF in Bukan, Heidari is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022’ Entities | Name | Identifying information | Reasons | Date of listing ---|---|---|---|--- ‘5. | Iran’s Morality Police (a.k.a. Gasht-e-Ershad; Islamic Guidance Patrol; Guidance Patrols) غشتى إرشاد | Address: Vozara Street, corner of 25th Street, District 6, Tehran (Iran) | The Morality Police is part of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) and is a special police unit which enforces the strict dress rules for women, including compulsory wearing of a headscarf. The Morality Police has used unlawful force against women for not complying with Iranian hijab laws, sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrests and detentions, excessive violence and torture. On 13 September 2022, the Morality Police arbitrarily arrested 22-year old Mahsa Amini in Tehran, allegedly for wearing a hijab improperly. She was subsequently taken to the Morality Police’s headquarters for an ‘educational and orientation class’. According to reliable reports and witnesses, she was brutally beaten and mistreated in custody, which led to her hospitalisation and to her death on 16 September 2022. The Morality Police’s abusive behaviour is not confined to that incident and has been widely documented. The Morality Police is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 6. | Basij Resistance Force (a.k.a. Basij-e Mostazafan) بسیج مستضعفین | | The Basij Resistance Force is a volunteer paramilitary organisation operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with branches throughout Iran. The security forces’ response to the September 2022 protests in Iran was particularly harsh, resulting in the deaths of multiple people. The Basij Resistance Force was one of the forces ordered by the government to quell those protests. It injured and killed several protesters. The Basij Resistance Force is directly responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 7. | Cyber Defence Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (CDC) قرارگاه دفاع سایبری | Address: Tehran (Iran) Telephone: +98 26 3448 9826 | The Cyber Defence Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (CDC) monitors websites, e-mails and online activities of individuals deemed to be political opponents. During the September 2022 protests in Iran, the CDC took an active role in the Iranian government’s repressive policies, including by identifying and arresting protesters. The CDC is directly responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022 8. | Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF) (a.k.a. NAJA; FARAJA) فرماندهی انتظامی جمهوری اسلامی ایران | Address: Tehran (Iran) | The Law Enforcement Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran (LEF) is a uniformed police force. The LEF’s blatant and severe human rights violations, such as the indiscriminate shooting with live ammunition at peaceful protesters, including children, have been widely documented since protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini started in mid-September 2022. Over 70 protesters have died and hundreds were seriously injured, including children. Since the beginning of the demonstrations, police forces have also arbitrarily detained numerous human rights defenders and journalists. The LEF is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. | 17.10.2022’ * * *