President Obama Places 8 Iranian Officials On Human Rights Black List

United States President Barack Obama ordered specific sanctions against certain Iranian authorities he identified as instrumental in human rights violations in Iran. In an executive order signed today, Obama listed eight individuals who have shared responsibility during post-election violence as violators of human rights.

The list includes Mohammad Ali Jafari, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Sadeq Mahsouli, former Minister of the Interior and current Minister of Welfare, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, former Minister of Intelligence and current Prosecutor General and Judiciary Spokesperson, Saeed Mortazavi, former Tehran Prosecutor and current head of Iran’s Task Force Against Smuggling, Heydar Moslehi, Minister of Intelligence, Mostafa Najjar, Minister of Interior, Ahmad Reza Radan, Deputy Police Chief, and Hossein Taeb, former Head of the Basij and current Head of the IRGC Intelligence Unit.

According to the US State Department website, the executive order provides the US government with new tools to target Iranian authorities responsible for violations of human rights in Iran. As a result of this action, any property these individuals may own in the US, or may be in custody of US citizens, will be frozen. US citizens are also barred from trade with these individuals. A part of this executive order involves a ban on issuing visas for these individuals.

Previously, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran published a report entitled “Men of Violence, Perpetrators of Iran’s Post Election Crackdown”, introducing 15 violators of human rights, five of whom are on the US President’s list today.

The Executive Order describes the reasons for including the individuals in the Order. The Executive Order can be read in its entirety here.