The United States has designated 10 Iranian officials, including those overseeing Tehran's Evin prison, for sanctions over Internet censorship and a crackdown on protests ignited by Mahsa Amini's death in police custody.
The sanctions, including financial blocks and other penalties, were imposed on October 26 by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and they target Iranian leaders and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Among those designated is Hedayat Farzadi, who the Treasury Department says is warden of Evin prison, which holds political prisoners and is where Washington says many protesters have been sent.
The new sanctions come 40 days after Amini's death and are part of a string of actions imposed against Tehran for its repression of protestors and disruption of Internet access.
“Forty days after the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, Iranians continue to bravely protest in the face of brutal suppression and disruption of Internet access,” said Brian Nelson, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence in the Treasury Department. He said the sanctions are "part of our commitment to hold all levels of the Iranian government accountable for its repression.”
Amini, 22, was taken into custody last month for allegedly improperly wearing a head scarf. The government said the cause of her death was "underlying diseases" but eyewitnesses and her family say she was beaten while in custody.
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Iranian Protesters Mark 40 Days Since Death Of Woman Arrested By Morality Police
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the United States "will continue to find ways to support the people of Iran as they peacefully protest in defense of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and in doing so, will continue to impose costs on individuals and entities in Iran who engage in the brutal repression of the Iranian people."
In addition to the sanctions on Farzadi, the Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on the commander of the IRGC’s intelligence organization, as well as provincial and Iranian prison officials and people and entities tied to Internet censorship.
The Treasury Department accused Farzadi of having overseen the torture and mistreatment of prisoners before becoming warden of Evin.
Farzadi was known to organize public amputations of criminals convicted of petty crimes, and as director of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary, also known as Fashafouyeh Prison, Farzadi oversaw the torture and maltreatment of numerous prisoners, including political prisoners and members of religious minority groups, the department said, adding that several prisoners under his responsibility have died from lack of medical treatment.
Seyyed Heshmatollah Hayat Al-Ghaib, the director-general of Tehran Province Prisons, was also designated on October 26 along with the wardens of several other prisons in Iran.
Hossein Modarres Khiabani, the governor of Sistan and Baluchistan Province in southeastern Iran, where the Treasury said some of the worst violence in the latest round of protests has taken place, was also targeted.
Also named were two members of Iran's intelligence and security ministry, as well as the Ravin Academy founded by them, which the Treasury Department said trains people in cybersecurity and hacking.
The Iranian company Samane Gostar Sahab Pardaz Private, which the department said provides censorship, surveillance, and espionage tools to the Tehran government, was also designated.
The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets belonging to those named and generally bars Americans from carrying out any transactions involving their property or accounts.
The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights says the crackdown has killed at least 215 people, including 27 children. The authorities have yet to announce a death toll, but state media have said around 30 members of the security forces have been killed.
Iranian leaders have without presenting any evidence accused the United States and other Western countries of fomenting what they call "riots."