US sanctions Iranian Minister over human rights abuses
May 21, 2020
Washington D.C. [US], May 21 : US has sanctioned Iran's Interior Minister, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, for his alleged role in "serious human rights abuses against Iranians", US Treasury Department said on Wednesday (local time).
"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against Iran's Interior Minister for his role in serious human rights abuses against Iranians, as well as seven senior officials of Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) and a provincial commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," the department said in a release.
"The Iranian regime violently suppresses dissent of the Iranian people, including peaceful protests, through physical and psychological abuse," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. "The United States will continue to hold accountable Iranian officials and institutions that oppress and abuse their own people."
During a press conference, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said that they reason to believe Rahmani Fazli is the individual who gave orders in November 2019 authorizing Iranian police forces to use lethal force on peaceful protesters inside of Iran.
"His evil commands killed Iranian citizens. We're proud to mete out what justice we can on behalf of the slain and silenced inside of Iran," he said.
