Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/596 of 11 April 2022 amending Decision 2011/235/CFSP concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Iran
Date: 2022-04-11
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU restrictive measure, Iran, economic sanctions, international sanctions, natural person




L_2022114EN.01006801.xml










12.4.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


L 114/68








            COUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2022/596
of 11 April 2022
         
amending Decision 2011/235/CFSP concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Iran


THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 29 thereof,


Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

Whereas:







(1)


On 12 April 2011, the Council adopted Decision 2011/235/CFSP (1).












(2)


On the basis of a review of Decision 2011/235/CFSP, the Council considers that the restrictive measures set out therein should be renewed until 13 April 2023.












(3)


Three persons designated in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP are deceased, and the entries concerning them should be removed from the Annex. The Council has also concluded that the entries concerning 25 persons included in the Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP should be updated.












(4)


Decision 2011/235/CFSP should therefore be amended accordingly,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
Decision 2011/235/CFSP is amended as follows:






(1)


in Article 6, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:

‘2.   This Decision shall apply until 13 April 2023. It shall be kept under constant review. It shall be renewed, or amended as appropriate, if the Council deems that its objectives have not been met.’;











(2)


the Annex is amended as set out in the Annex to this Decision.






Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.




Done at Luxembourg, 11 April 2022.


For the Council


The President

J. BORRELL FONTELLES
            





(1)  Council Decision 2011/235/CFSP of 12 April 2011 concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities in view of the situation in Iran (OJ L 100, 14.4.2011, p. 51).




ANNEX
The Annex to Decision 2011/235/CFSP (‘List of persons and entities referred to in Articles 1 and 2’) is amended as follows:






(1)


entries 27 (concerning ZARGAR Ahmad), 38 (concerning FIRUZABADI Maj-Gen Dr Seyyed Hasan) and 41 (concerning HEJAZI Mohammad) in the list headed ‘Persons’ are deleted;










(2)


the entries for the following 25 persons are replaced by the following:





Persons











 


Name


Identifying information


Reasons


Date of listing




‘1.


AHMADI-MOQADDAM Esmail


POB: Tehran (Iran)
DOB: 1961
Gender: male


Director of the University and the Higher National Defence Research Institute since 20 September 2021. Former Senior Advisor for Security Affairs to the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff. Chief of Iran’s National Police from 2005 until early 2015. Also Head of the Iranian Cyber Police (EU-listed) from January 2011 until early 2015. Forces under his command led brutal attacks on peaceful protests and a violent night-time attack on the dormitories of Tehran University on 15 June 2009. Former head of Iran’s Headquarters in support of the Yemeni People.


12.4.2011




20.


MOGHISSEH Mohammad (a.k.a. NASSERIAN)


Gender: male


Judge at the Supreme Court since November 2020. Former head of Tehran Revolutionary Court, branch 28. Also considered responsible for condemnations of members of the Baha’i community. He has dealt with post-election cases. He issued long prison sentences during unfair trials of social and political activists and journalists, and several death sentences for protesters and social and political activists.


12.4.2011




21.


MOHSENI-EJEI Gholam-Hossein


POB: Ejiyeh (Iran)
DOB: circa 1956
Gender: male


Chief of Justice since July 2021. Member of the Expediency Council. Prosecutor General of Iran from September 2009 until 2014. Former Deputy Head of the Judiciary (2014 until July 2021) and spokesperson of the Judiciary (2010-2019). Intelligence Minister from 2005 until 2009. While he was Intelligence Minister during the 2009 elections, intelligence agents under his command were responsible for the detention and torture of, and the extraction of false confessions under pressure from, hundreds of activists, journalists, dissidents and reformist politicians. In addition, political figures were coerced into making false confessions under unbearable interrogation, which included torture, abuse, blackmail and the threatening of family members.


12.4.2011




22.


MORTAZAVI Said (a.k.a. MORTAZAVI Saeed)


POB: Meybod, Yazd (Iran)
DOB: 1967
Gender: male


Head of the Welfare System from 2011 to 2013. Prosecutor General of Tehran until August 2009. As Prosecutor General of Tehran, he issued a blanket order used for the detention of hundreds of activists, journalists and students. In January 2010, a parliamentary investigation held him directly responsible for the detention of three prisoners who subsequently died in custody. He was suspended from office in August 2010 after an investigation by the Iranian judiciary into his role in the deaths of the three men detained on his orders following the election.
In November 2014, his role in the deaths of detainees was officially recognised by the Iranian authorities. He was acquitted by an Iranian Court on 19 August 2015, on charges connected to the torture and deaths of three young men at the Kahrizak detention centre in 2009. Sentenced to prison in 2017 and released in September 2019. In August 2021, Iran’s Supreme Court issued a ruling in full support of Said Mortazavi, overturning his earlier two-year jail sentence.


12.4.2011




25.


SALAVATI Abdolghassem


Gender: male


Judge of the Special Court for Financial Crimes, branch 4 since 2019. Former Head of Tehran Revolutionary Court, branch 15. Committing Judge in the Tehran Tribunal. In charge of the post-election cases, he was the Judge presiding over the ‘show trials’ in summer 2009, he condemned to death two monarchists that appeared in the show trials. He has sentenced more than a hundred political prisoners, human rights activists and demonstrators to lengthy prison sentences.
In 2018, reports showed that he continued to hand down similar sentences without proper observance of fair hearing procedures.


12.4.2011




28.


YASAGHI Ali-Akbar


Gender: male


Judge at the Supreme Court, head of the 13th section. Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Setad-e Dieh Foundation. Chief Judge, Mashhad Revolutionary Court (2001-2011). Trials under his jurisdiction have been conducted summarily and in closed sessions, without adherence to basic rights of the accused. As execution rulings were issued en masse (up to 550 between summer 2009 and summer 2011), death sentences were issued without proper observance of fair hearing procedures.


12.4.2011




30.


ESMAILI Gholam-Hossein (a.k.a. ESMAILI Gholam Hossein)


Gender: male


Chief of Staff of Iranian President Raisi since August 2021. Judiciary spokesman from April 2019 until July 2021. Former head of the Tehran Judiciary. Former Head of Iran’s Prisons Organisation. In this capacity, he was complicit in the massive detention of political protesters and covering up of abuses performed in the jailing system.


12.4.2011




33.


ABBASZADEH-MESHKINI Mahmoud


Gender: male


Member of Parliament (since February 2020) and Speaker of the Parliament’s Committee for National Security and Foreign Affairs. Former Advisor to Iran’s High Council for Human Rights (until 2019). Former secretary of the High Council for Human Rights. Former Governor of Ilam Province. Former Political Director of the Interior Ministry. As Head of the Article 10 Committee of the Law on Activities of Political Parties and Groups, he was in charge of authorising demonstrations and other public events and registering political parties.
In 2010, he suspended the activities of two reformist political parties linked to Mousavi – the Islamic Iran Participation Front and the Islamic Revolution Mujahedeen Organisation. From 2009 onwards, he has consistently and continuously prohibited all non-governmental gatherings, therefore denying a constitutional right to protest and leading to many arrests of peaceful demonstrators in contravention of the right to freedom of assembly.
In 2009, he also denied the opposition a permit for a ceremony to mourn people killed in protests over the Presidential elections.


10.10.2011




35.


AKHARIAN Hassan


Gender: male


Head of Ward 5 and in charge of solitary confinement in EU-listed Rajaee Shahr Prison since 2015; formerly Keeper of Ward 1 of Rajaee Shahr Prison, Karadj until July 2010. Several former detainees have denounced his use of torture, as well as orders he gave to prevent inmates receiving medical assistance. According to a transcript of one reported detainee in the Rajaee Shahr Prison, wardens all beat him severely, with Akharian’s full knowledge. There is also at least one reported case of ill treatment and the death of a detainee, Mohsen Beikvand, under Akharian’s wardenship. Beikvand died in September 2010. Other prisoners claim credibly that he was killed on the instructions of Hassan Akharian.


10.10.2011




36.


AVAEE Seyyed Ali-Reza (a.k.a. AVAEE Seyyed Alireza, AVAIE Alireza)


POB: Dezful (Iran)
DOB: 20.5.1956
Gender: male


Minister of Justice until 25 August 2021. Former Director of the special investigations office. Deputy Minister of the Interior and Head of the Public Register until July 2016. Advisor to the Disciplinary Court for Judges in April 2014. Former President of the Tehran Judiciary. As President of the Tehran Judiciary, he has been responsible for human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, denials of prisoners’ rights and a high number of executions.


10.10.2011




46.


KAMALIAN Behrouz (a.k.a. Hackers Brain, Behrooz_Ice)


POB: Tehran (Iran)
DOB: 1983
Gender: male


Head of the ‘Ashiyaneh’ cyber group linked with the Iranian regime. The ‘Ashiyaneh’ Digital Security, founded by Behrouz Kamalian, is responsible for intensive cyber attacks both on domestic opponents and reformists and foreign institutions. Kamalian’s ‘Ashiyaneh’ organisation’s work has assisted the regime’s crackdown against the opposition, which has involved numerous serious human rights violations in 2009. Both Kamalian and the ‘Ashiyaneh’ cyber group have continued their activities until at least December 2021.


10.10.2011




47.


KHALILOLLAHI Moussa (a.k.a. KHALILOLLAHI Mousa, ELAHI Mousa Khalil)


POB: Tabriz (Iran)
DOB: 1963
Gender: male


Chief of Justice of East Azerbaijan province. Former prosecutor of Tabriz from 2010 to 2019. He was involved in Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani’s case and is complicit in grave violations of the right to due process.


10.10.2011




53.


TALA Hossein (a.k.a. TALA Hosseyn)


POB: Tehran (Iran)
DOB: 1969
Gender: male


Mayor of Eslamshahr until 2020. Former Iranian MP. Former Governor-General (‘Farmandar’) of Tehran Province until September 2010, he was responsible for the intervention of police forces and therefore for the repression of demonstrations. He received a prize in December 2010 for his role in the post-election repression.


10.10.2011




55.


ZEBHI Hossein


Gender: male


First Deputy Advisor to the Judiciary and Judge of the Supreme Court (head of Branch 41 of the Supreme Court, dealing in particular with security offences and drugs). Deputy to the Prosecutor-General of Iran (2007-2015). In this role, he was responsible for judicial cases brought after the post-election protests in 2009, which were conducted in contravention of human rights. Also in this role, he has condoned excessive punishments for drug offences.


10.10.2011




56.


BAHRAMI Mohammad-Kazem


Gender: male


Head of the administrative justice court until April 2021. He was complicit in the repression of peaceful demonstrators in 2009 as head of the judiciary branch of the armed forces.


10.10.2011




60.


HOSSEINI Dr Mohammad (a.k.a. HOSSEYNI Dr Seyyed Mohammad; Seyed, Sayyed and Sayyid)


POB: Rafsanjan, Kerman (Iran)
DOB: 23.7.1961
Gender: male


Vice-president for parliamentary affairs under President Raisi since August 2021. Former advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and spokesperson for YEKTA, a hard-line political faction. Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance (2009-2013). Ex-IRGC, he was complicit in the repression of journalists.


10.10.2011




62.


ZARGHAMI Ezzatollah


POB: Dezful (Iran)
DOB: 22.7.1959
Gender: male


Minister of Culture, Crafts and Tourism since 25 August 2021. Member of the Supreme Cyberspace Council and Cultural Revolution Council since 2014. Former Head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) until November 2014. Under his tenure at IRIB, He was responsible for all programming decisions. IRIB has broadcast forced confessions of detainees and a series of ‘show trials’ in August 2009 and December 2011. These constitute a clear violation of international provisions on fair trial and the right to due process.


23.3.2012




64.


KAZEMI Toraj


Gender: male


Chief of the Greater Tehran division of the EU-designated Cyber Police until June 2020. In this capacity, he announced a campaign for the recruitment of government hackers in order to achieve better control of information on the internet and attack ‘dangerous’ sites.


23.3.2012




65.


LARIJANI Sadeq


POB: Najaf (Iraq)
DOB: 1960 or August 1961
Gender: male


Head of the Expediency Council since 29 December 2018. Former member of the Guardian Council (until September 2021). Former Head of the Judiciary (2009-2019). The Head of the Judiciary is required to consent to and sign off every qisas (retribution), hodoud (crimes against God) and ta’zirat (crimes against the state) punishment. This includes sentences carrying the death penalty, floggings and amputations. In this regard, he has personally signed off numerous death penalty sentences, contravening international standards, including stoning, executions by suspension strangulation, execution of juveniles, and public executions such as those where prisoners have been hanged from bridges in front of crowds of thousands. Therefore, he has contributed to a high number of executions. He has also permitted corporal punishment sentences such as amputations and the dripping of acid into the eyes of the convicted. Since Sadeq Larijani took office, arbitrary arrests of political prisoners, human rights defenders and minorities have increased markedly. Sadeq Larijani also bears responsibility for systemic failures in the Iranian judicial process with respect to the right to a fair trial.


23.3.2012




69.


MORTAZAVI Seyyed Solat


POB: Farsan, Tchar Mahal-o-Bakhtiari (South) – (Iran)
DOB: 1967
Gender: male


Since 5 September 2021, Vice-President for Executive Affairs of Iran and Head of the Presidential Office. Head of the real estate branch of the Mostazafan Foundation, which was directly run by Supreme Leader Khamenei from 16 September 2019 until September 2021. Until November 2019, Director of the Tehran branch of the Foundation Astan Qods Razavi. Former mayor of the second largest city of Iran, Mashhad, where public executions are regularly carried out. Former Deputy Interior Minister for Political Affairs, appointed in 2009. In that capacity, he was responsible for directing the repression of persons who spoke up in defence of their legitimate rights, including freedom of expression. Later appointed as Head of the Iranian Election Committee for the parliamentarian elections in 2012 and for the presidential elections in 2013.


23.3.2012




74.


REZVANMA-NESH Ali


Gender: male


Deputy prosecutor in the province of Karaj, region of Alborz in the period 2010-2016. Responsible for grave violations of human rights, including involvement in the execution of a juvenile.


23.3.2012




79.


RASHIDI AGHDAM Ali Ashraf


Gender: male


Deputy Director of Health, Correction and Education of Tehran Prisons. Former head of Evin Prison (2012-2015). During his tenure, conditions in the prison deteriorated and reports referenced intensified ill-treatment of prisoners. In October 2012, nine female prisoners went on hunger strike in protest of the violation of their rights and violent treatment by prison guards.


12.3.2013




80.


KIASATI Morteza


Gender: male


Judge of branch 54 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran and of the Ahwaz Revolutionary Court, Branch 4; imposed death sentences on four Arab political prisoners, Taha Heidarian, Abbas Heidarian, Abd al-Rahman Heidarian (three brothers) and Ali Sharifi. They were arrested, tortured and hanged without due process. These cases and the lack of due process were referenced in a report dated 13 September 2012 by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, the UN Secretary General’s report on Iran of 22 August 2012.


12.3.2013




83.


JAFARI Asadollah


Gender: male


Currently Attorney General in Isfahan. In this position, he ordered violent reactions against protesters who took to the streets in November 2021 to protest against water shortages. According to some reports, Jafari has announced the formation of a special office to investigate the arrested protesters.
As former Prosecutor of Mazandaran Province, Jafari recommended the imposition of the death penalty in cases he has prosecuted, which has resulted in many executions including public executions, and in circumstances where the imposition of the death penalty is contrary to international human rights, including by being disproportionate and excessive punishment. Jafari has also been responsible for illegal arrests and violations of the rights of Baha’i detainees from initial arrest to keeping them in solitary confinement in the Intelligence Detention Centre.


12.3.2013




95.


VASEGHI Leyla (a.k.a. VASEQI Layla, VASEGHI Leila, VASEGHI Layla)


POB: Sari, Mazandaran Province (Iran)
DOB: 1352 (Iranian Hijri calendar), 1972 or 1973 (Gregorian calendar)
Gender: female
Position: Former governor of Shahr-e Qods and Head of the City Security Council


As the governor of Shahr-e Qods and Head of the City Security Council from September 2019 until November 2021, Leyla Vaseghi ordered the police and other armed forces to use lethal means during the November 2019 protests, causing the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians. As the governor of Shahr-e Qods and Head of the City Security Council, Leyla Vaseghi bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran.


12.4.2021’