On Monday, April 14, the European Union announced new sanctions against seven judicial and security officials of the Iranian regime, as well as two affiliated institutions, in response to Iran’s organized policy of hostage-taking and gross human rights violations.
According to Reuters, EU foreign ministers decided at their recent meeting to respond firmly to the growing trend of arbitrary detentions—especially those targeting European citizens. The EU described these arrests as “state-backed hostage-taking” and demanded an immediate end to the practice. This policy, combined with the regime’s dark record of mass executions, torture, and horrifying prison conditions, has become a symbol of Iran’s systematic repression.
Diplomatic sources confirmed that the sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes within EU territory. All sanctioned individuals are key figures in Iran’s judiciary and security apparatus, directly involved in suppressing dissent, issuing death sentences, and executing hostage-taking policies.
Sanctioned Individuals by the European Union
The following figures were named among the sanctioned:
- Abbasali Houzan, judge at Branch 36 of Tehran’s Appeals Court, played a central role in upholding harsh sentences against political dissidents, women protesting compulsory hijab laws, and religious minorities, especially Baha’is.
- Hedayatollah Farzadi, head of Evin Prison, was sanctioned for imposing severe restrictions on political prisoners, including cutting off communication and visitations, and widespread use of solitary confinement.
- Mehdi Nemati, head of protection and intelligence for Fars Province prisons, oversees Shiraz Central Prison (Adelabad), which has become a site for mass executions—especially of ethnic and religious minorities—and the detention of foreign hostages.
- Kamran Zare, an appellate court judge in Shiraz, is accused of issuing unfair rulings against political protesters and followers of persecuted religions.
Human Rights Violators
- Mahmoud Sadati, a judge in Shiraz, played an active role in issuing death sentences, securing forced confessions, and broadly violating fair trial standards for political activists and religious minorities.
- Ali Salehi, Tehran’s public prosecutor, is a key figure in the systematic prosecution of women protesting mandatory hijab, university students, and civil movement activists. He is also accused of issuing and enforcing execution orders and employing torture.
- Mohammad Khosravani, special prosecutor at the Shiraz court, has been involved in arbitrary detentions, pressuring political defendants, and suppressing minorities.
In addition to these individuals, two institutions were also sanctioned:
- Shiraz Central Prison (Adelabad), for systemic human rights abuses, large-scale executions, inhumane detention conditions, and unlawful imprisonment of European hostages.
- Branch One of the Shiraz court, for issuing unjust rulings, suppressing protesters and minorities, and implementing the Iranian regime’s repressive policies.
Dark Record of Human Rights Violations
These sanctions are a symbolic response to only a fraction of the Iranian regime’s repression machinery—a regime with a long history of hostage-taking, from diplomats and dual nationals to tourists and journalists, and one of the world’s highest execution rates.
The EU’s latest sanctions—alongside over 70 international resolutions condemning the Iranian regime for human rights violations—indicate that the international community can no longer remain silent in the face of ongoing repression. Although these measures have yet to include more decisive actions like referring regime officials to international courts, they highlight the growing erosion of the regime’s legitimacy on the world stage.
