The United States announced sanctions against those who are perpetrating gross human rights abuses and repression in Iran, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.
Responding to a query over supporting protesters in Iran, Sullivan said, "We have had a drumbeat of announcements relative to sanctions against those who are perpetrating these gross human rights abuses and this repression. We haven't just done so ourselves, we have coordinated and aligned with other countries around the world, building an international chorus of condemnation against what is happening."
Moreover, Ministers of the European Union of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday have imposed new sanctions on Iranian religious leaders, senior officials and top state media employees over new crackdowns on antigovernment protests.
Twenty individuals and one entity were sanctioned on Monday over human rights abuses, while four more people and as many entities were added over the issue of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, Aljazeera reported.
This comes after the second public execution of an anti-government protester. According to The Jerusalem Post, protester Majidreza Rahnavard convicted for stabbing and killing two security agents was hanged to death in public this morning in the city of Mashhad.
In his speech, Sullivan said that he had interacted with Morad Tahbaz's family, Namazi family and Emad Shargi's family, who are the victim of Iran's law, either through phone or Zoom or in person.
"And this is something that I personally, as National Security Advisor, am deeply committed to across the board. I've spent dozens, if not hundreds, of hours working on these cases, meeting with these families. And I will continue to do so as we go forward," Sullivan said. "And I make it a policy that any family that seeks a meeting at the White House with me will get one. Sometimes there are scheduling issues. But over the course of the past year, I have had the opportunity to meet with so many families of hostages and detainees in Russia and Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iran, China and other places as well, and I'll continue to do that," he added.
The National Security advisor also stated that the US has taken steps to facilitate the ability of Iranians to communicate both among themselves and then to communicate to the outside world what is happening in their country so that America can hold accountable those who are responsible. He recalled US President Joe Biden's statement on the Iran protest and said that America's leaders had spoken very directly, clearly, and passionately and made the government's stance clear that it stands on the side of the rights of peaceful protesters; the rights of women to seek, to vindicate their human dignity; and the rights of people everywhere to speak out on behalf of a better life.
Rahnavard who was publically executed on Monday was convicted for stabbing and killing two members of the Iranian security forces and injuring four others during the ongoing protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16. Amini died in the custody of the state's morality police who had detained her reportedly for not properly donning her headscarf.
Earlier, Iran carried out its first execution related to the protests. It was the first such event that was made public.
( With inputs from ANI )
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