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Updated December 10th, 2022 at 19:33 IST

Australia sanctions Iran's Morality Police & Russian individuals over human rights abuses

Following the US’ announcement of fresh sanctions, Australia is imposing targeted sanctions on individuals and entities in Iran and Russia.

Reported by: Digital Desk
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Australia is imposing targeted sanctions on individuals and entities in Iran and Russia, saying they are involved in “egregious human rights violations and abuses. According to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the sanctions target Iran’s Morality Police, the Basij Resistance Force and six Iranian individuals involved in the violent crackdown on protests following the death of Mahsa Amini and the continued oppression of the people of Iran. Seven Russian individuals involved in the attempted assassination of former opposition leader Alexei Navalny will also have human rights sanctions imposed on them. 

Apart from the human rights sanctions, Wong said Australia was also placing further financial sanctions on three Iranians and one Iranian business for supplying drones to Russia for use against Ukraine. The US has proposed a similar sanction on several Russian defence industry entities tied to the transfer of Iranian military drones Moscow has been using to deadly effect in attacking Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, according to the officials. By penalizing Russia for its Iranian drone supplies, the US says it aims to disrupt the deployment of a weapon that Ukrainians say has terrorized the population and is manufactured by Tehran’s US-sanctioned weapons program, as reported by WSJ.

“The supply of drones to Russia is evidence of the role Iran plays in destabilising global security. This listing highlights that those who provide material support to Russia will face consequences,” Wong said in the statement. The announcement comes after Australia’s government in October imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on 28 Russian-appointed separatists, ministers and senior officials after Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed the annexation of four regions of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department said it imposed sanctions on Li Zhenyu and Zhuo Xinrong, both Chinese nationals, and 10 entities linked to the two, including Nasdaq-listed Pingtan Marine Enterprise (PME) (PME.O), over what Washington says are human rights abuses tied to China-based illegal fishing.

US also planning sanctions on China and Russia

The US is set to levy fresh sanctions against Russia and China, actions that include targeting Russia’s deployment of Iranian drones in Ukraine, alleged human-rights abuse by both nations and Beijing’s support of alleged illegal fishing in the Pacific, according to officials familiar with the matter, as reported by Wall Street Journal. The sanctions are expected to be imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act, named after a whistleblower who died in a Moscow jail after accusing officials of corruption. Defending its action, the US said that they were using those powers to sanction high-profile government, military and business officials accused of human-rights abuses and corruption, and said it aims to hold them accountable and deter others.

The sanctions will freeze any assets the targets have within US jurisdiction, prevent their travel to the U.S. and prohibit business dealings with them. For government and business officials, the actions can complicate their international travel and financing. By cutting companies’ access to the world’s largest markets, the sanctions can roil their operations and in some cases force their dissolution, reported the WSJ. The targets include officials allegedly responsible for Russia’s filtration camps for Ukrainians caught behind the front, where groups such as Human Rights Watch have alleged the military has tortured citizens and committed other war crimes.

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Published December 10th, 2022 at 19:33 IST

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