{"id":52647,"date":"2022-09-22T09:08:15","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T16:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=52647"},"modified":"2022-09-22T11:08:59","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T18:08:59","slug":"treasury-sanctions-irans-morality-police-and-senior-security-officials-for-violence-against-protesters-and-the-death-of-mahsa-amini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=52647","title":{"rendered":"Treasury Sanctions Iran\u2019s Morality Police and Senior Security Officials for Violence Against Protesters and the Death of Mahsa Amini"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"date-format field field--name-field-news-publication-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item\"><time datetime=\"2022-09-22T14:30:00Z\">S<strong>eptember 22, 2022, <\/strong><\/time><strong>WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2014 Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury\u2019s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating Iran\u2019s Morality Police for abuse and violence against Iranian women and the violation of the rights of peaceful Iranian protestors. The Morality Police are responsible for the recent death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested and detained for allegedly wearing a hijab improperly.<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-news-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p>OFAC is also targeting seven senior leaders of Iran\u2019s security organizations: the Morality Police, Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), the Army\u2019s Ground Forces, Basij Resistance Forces, and Law Enforcement Forces. These officials oversee organizations that routinely employ violence to suppress peaceful protesters and members of Iranian civil society, political dissidents, women\u2019s rights activists, and members of the Iranian Baha\u2019i community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMahsa Amini was a courageous woman whose death in Morality Police custody was yet another act of brutality by the Iranian regime\u2019s security forces against its own people,\u201d said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. \u201cWe condemn this unconscionable act in the strongest terms and call on the Iranian government to end its violence against women and its ongoing violent crackdown on free expression and assembly. Today\u2019s action to sanction Iran\u2019s Morality Police and senior Iranian security officials responsible for this oppression demonstrates the Biden &#8211; Harris Administration\u2019s clear commitment to stand up for human rights, and the rights of women, in Iran and globally.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s actions are taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13553, which imposes sanctions on certain persons with respect to serious human rights abuses by the Government of Iran.<\/p>\n<h3>IRAN\u2019S MORALITY POLICE<\/h3>\n<p>Iran\u2019s\u00a0<strong>Morality Police<\/strong>\u00a0is the component of Iran\u2019s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) tasked with enforcing the country\u2019s laws against immodesty and societal vices. The LEF, the Iranian government\u2019s main security apparatus dedicated to crowd control and protest suppression, played a key role in the crackdown on protesters in the aftermath of the disputed Iranian presidential election in 2009 and has been called upon to respond to multiple nationwide protests since then, including the November 2019 protests over gasoline price increases during which Iranian security forces killed at least hundreds of Iranian protestors. Treasury designated the LEF pursuant to E.O. 13553 on June 9, 2011, for its role in the 2009 post-election crackdown.<\/p>\n<p>On September 14, 2022, the LEF\u2019s Morality Police arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for purportedly wearing a hijab improperly and sent her to an \u201ceducational and orientation\u201d class at police headquarters. She was transferred to a hospital that same day in a coma and died two days later from internal injuries. Eyewitnesses claim that Amini died due to injuries sustained while in Morality Police custody. Mahsa\u2019s father told the press that authorities covered bruises on her body in the hospital and refused to let the family see them. LEF authorities have blamed her death on a heart ailment, but her family said she had no such condition. Iran\u2019s Morality Police are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Iran\u2019s LEF.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mohammad Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi<\/strong>\u00a0serves as the head of Iran\u2019s Morality Police, which has demonstrated a culture of violence and excessive force under his command. In early 2022, Rostami declared that the Morality Police would punish Iranian women who refuse to wear a hijab.\u00a0<strong>Haj Ahmad Mirzaei<\/strong>\u00a0served as the head of the Tehran division of Iran\u2019s Morality Police during Amini\u2019s unjust detention and untimely death. Rostami and Mirzaei are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Iran\u2019s LEF.<\/p>\n<h3>SENIOR SECURITY SERVICES OFFICIALS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Esmail Khatib<\/strong>\u00a0is Iran\u2019s Minister of Intelligence and head of the MOIS, one of the Iranian government\u2019s main security services which is responsible for serious human rights abuses. Under his leadership, the MOIS has cracked down on a large number of human rights defenders, women-rights activists, journalists, filmmakers, and members of religious minority groups. MOIS has also aggressively persecuted individuals reporting on human rights abuses and violations in Iran, as well as their families, and subjected detainees to torture in secret detention centers during his tenure.<\/p>\n<p>Khatib is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the MOIS and for being a person acting on behalf of the Government of Iran who is responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing, on or after June 12, 2009. Treasury previously designated Khatib on September 9, 2022, pursuant to cybersecurity authorities for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the MOIS.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Salar Abnoush<\/strong>\u00a0is the deputy commander of the Basij and has publicly described his command-and-control role over Basij forces during the November 2019 protests. The Basij have been linked to the killing of unarmed protestors on numerous occasions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Qasem Rezaei<\/strong>\u00a0was appointed the LEF deputy commander in May 2020. As a senior LEF official, Rezaei is responsible for serious human rights violations committed by the LEF under his command. Rezaei has also directly overseen violence against detainees, including torture and beatings. He has justified the LEF\u2019s actions following the deadly use of force against Iranian protestors and called for continued violence against protestors in May 2022. As a former border commander of the LEF, Rezaei oversaw the harsh treatment of persons on Iran\u2019s border, including the use of direct fire against persons on Iran\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Manouchehr Amanollahi\u00a0<\/strong>is the LEF commander of Iran\u2019s Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. During his tenure, the LEF suppressed 2021 protests in the province in response to a lack of water, and 2022 protests in response to food rationing. LEF units under Amanollahi\u2019s command used live rounds against protestors when suppressing the protests, resulting in multiple deaths. As an advisor to LEF leadership, Amanollahi was also involved in the LEF\u2019s response to nationwide protests in November 2019, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of protestors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><strong>Kiyumars Heidari\u00a0<\/strong>is the commander of the Iranian Army\u2019s Ground Forces. He has publicly admitted to his and his force\u2019s involvement in the violent response to the November 2019 protests that led to the death of at least hundreds of protesters.<\/p>\n<p>Abnoush, Rezaei, Amanollahi, and Heidari are all being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for being persons acting on behalf of the Government of Iran (including members of paramilitary organizations) who are responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents, or the family members of the foregoing, on or after June 12, 2009, regardless of whether such abuses occurred in Iran.<\/p>\n<h3>SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS<\/h3>\n<p>As a result of today\u2019s action, all property and interests in property of the individuals and entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC\u2019s sanctions generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the individuals or entities designated today may themselves be exposed to designation. Furthermore, any foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction or provides significant financial services for any of the individuals or entities designated today could be subject to U.S. correspondent or payable-through account sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from its ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, please refer to OFAC\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/policy-issues\/financial-sanctions\/faqs\/897\">Frequently Asked Question 897<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/policy-issues\/financial-sanctions\/recent-actions\/20220922\">Identifying information on the individuals and entities designated today.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>September 22, 2022, WASHINGTON \u2014 Today,&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52647"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52648,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52647\/revisions\/52648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}