3 days ago
EU sanctions 8 Iranians, an entity
Shafaq News – Brussels/Tehran
On Monday, the European Council imposed sanctions on eight individuals and one entity over what it described as 'serious human rights violations' linked to Iran, including 'extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and transnational repression' targeting dissidents beyond its borders.
In a statement, the Council said the sanctioned parties were responsible for 'grave abuses' committed on behalf of Iranian state bodies abroad, particularly against individuals who voiced criticism of the Islamic Republic's policies. The measures were enacted under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
At the center of the sanctions is the Zindashti Network, which the EU identified as a 'criminal organization connected to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).' The group is accused of orchestrating 'multiple acts of transnational repression,' including the assassination of Iranian dissidents abroad—some reportedly carried out within EU territory.
Sanctioned individuals include Naji Ibrahim Sharifi-Zindashti, labeled by the EU as an 'Iranian narcotics trafficker and organized crime boss,' and head of the Zindashti Network. His alleged accomplices — Abdulvahap Kocak, Ali Esfanjani, Ali Kocak, Ekrem Oztunc, and Nihat Asan — were cited for their involvement in the killings of Iranian dissident Mas'ud Molavi Vardanjani and Saeed Karimian, the owner of Persian-language broadcaster Gem TV.
The EU also listed Mohammed Ansari, Commander of Unit 840 of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, accusing him of 'ordering the assassination of journalists critical of the Islamic Republic.' Additionally, Reza Hamidiravari, an intelligence officer with the MOIS, was sanctioned for 'overseeing Naji Zindashti's MOIS-directed operations.'
Those named are now subject to an asset freeze, a prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to them directly or indirectly, and a travel ban within the European Union.
