US imposes new Iranian sanctions after Mahsa Amini’s death

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on members of Iran’s intelligence agency, leaders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, prison guards and others, acting 40 days after the death of Mahsa Amini , 22, while in the custody of the vice squad.

The US government’s sanctions arm has designated 10 members of Iran’s leadership with financial blocks and sanctions, continuing a series of actions imposed against Tehran for its crackdown on protesters and disruption of internet access.

The latest sanctions targeted the commander of the Guard’s intelligence organization, its deputy commander, guards at several prisons and an Iranian company that filters social media.

Iranian morality police arrested Amini on September 13 in Tehran, where she was traveling from her hometown in the western Kurdish region of the country. The police detained her because she wore her hijab too loosely. Iran requires women to wear the headscarf so as to completely cover their hair when in public.

She collapsed in a police station and died three days later.

Amini remains a powerful symbol in the protests which have posed one of the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 2009 Green Movement protests drew millions to the streets.

His death sparked protests in dozens of cities across the country of 80 million people, with young women marching in the streets and publicly exposing and cutting their hair. The government responded with a fierce crackdown, accusing the protests of foreign interference.

Rights groups say that since the protests, security forces have killed more than 200 people, including children.

“Forty days after the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, Iranians continue to courageously demonstrate in the face of brutal repression and disruption of internet access,” said Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Intelligence. financial. He said the sanctions were « part of our commitment to hold all levels of the Iranian government accountable for its crackdown. »

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Follow AP’s coverage of Iran at: https://apnews.com/hub/iran

Fatima Hussein, Associated Press

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