EU Sanctions 8 Iranians over 2019 Protests

The European Union imposed sanctions targeting 8 leaders of the Basij militia and the Iranian police, as well as 3 prisons, due to what it said was a "deadly crackdown carried out by the Iranian authorities in November 2019."

The sanctions include a travel ban and an asset freeze, the first imposed by the European Union on Iran for "human rights abuses" since 2013.

According to the European Union sanctions website, travel restrictions and asset freezes have been imposed in relation to persons who are complicit or responsible for directing or implementing serious human rights violations in the suppression of peaceful protesters, journalists, human rights defenders, students or other people who speak out in defense of their legitimate rights.

These measures are also imposed on accomplices or those responsible for directing or implementing grave violations of the right to a fair trial, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, or the indiscriminate, excessive and increasing application of the death penalty, including public execution "by stoning".