U.S. Announces Human Rights Sanctions On International Women’s Day

(New York, N.Y.) — Today, on International Women’s Day, the U.S. announced additional sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for continued human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This day, which is meant to celebrate the achievements and leadership of women and girls around the world, also serves as a stark reminder that women in Iran are impeded by the regime from reaching their fullest potential due to gender-based violence and discrimination.  

United Against Nuclear Iran’s (UANI) resource Iran’s War on Women details how Tehran systematically discriminates against and violently targets women and girls. The Iranian regime enables violence against women and sexual exploitation of girls; harasses, jails, fines, and flogs women for crimes like appearing in public without covering their hair and bodies; forcibly segregates women from men; disproportionately punishes women in the judicial system; cracks down on activists for women’s rights; denies women political and economic opportunities; and favors men over women in family and inheritance law.  

Since the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 at the hands of the regime’s so-called morality police, Iran has been gripped by regular anti-regime demonstrations under the slogan of “women, life, freedom,” which has coincided with women increasingly violating Iran’s compulsory hijab laws. The regime has responded violently. At least 530 protestors have been killed, including 71 children, and almost 20,000 have been arrested. Over the same period, the U.S. has designated 60 regime officials and entities responsible for the crackdown and human rights violations.  

The most recent designations target officials overseeing prisons, two senior Iran security leaders, three companies that supply Iran law enforcement and the heads of those companies, and a high-ranking member of Iran’s law enforcement. These designations serve as an important step in curbing human rights abuses in Iran, however, gaps remain in the application of human rights sanctions against regime leaders and entities among the U.S., EU, U.K., and Canada. UANI’s resource, Iran Human Rights Abusers Who Should Be Sanctioned Now, highlights those who still lack designation, especially amidst recent protest crackdowns.  

To read UANI’s resource Iran’s War on Women, please click here. 

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