Australia sanctions Iranian officials, state-run tv over rights abuses

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Australia on Wednesday sanctioned four Iranian individuals and three entities, including its state-run media outlet, for alleged human rights abuses ahead of the first death anniversary of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in a Tehran hospital after being arrested by religious morality police for allegedly not wearing the hijab.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement that the sanctions targeted those responsible for the oppression of people in Iran, including women and girls.

Canberra imposed a travel ban on four people, including Saeed Montazer Al-Mahdi, the spokesperson for Iran's Law Enforcement Forces.

Sanctions were also imposed on Iran's Cyber Police and Press TV, the state-backed news channel accused by the Australian government in the statement of broadcasting forced confessions of Iranians and dual nationals detained and "tried under politically motivated judicial procedures," according to the top diplomat.

"The Australian Government will continue to take decisive and targeted action to hold Iran to account for its egregious human rights violations," she said.

"We call on the Iranian regime to hold those responsible for the death of Mahsa Jina Amini to account," she added.

Iran had found itself in the midst of mass protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini, in a hospital in Tehran in mysterious circumstances following her arrest by morality police for allegedly violating Iran's Islamic dress code. Amini died on Sept. 16, last year.

Later, Iranian officials attempted to blame the young woman's death on a heart attack she suffered while in custody, but protesters and her family say she was brutally beaten to death.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid