Australia will apply sanctions on Iranian state media for airing forced confessions, with the foreign minister, Penny Wong, threatening to take more brutal measures before the anniversary of Mahsa Jina Amini’s death in detention. These sanctions will be in response to Iranian official media’s broadcasting of forced confessions.
Wong is going to announce on Wednesday that she is bringing new punishments against individuals who are involved to the abuse of women and girls. This is in response to charges made by the Coalition that the government has been reluctant to act.
According to sources within the Australian government, one of the three businesses that were targeted was Press TV. The reason for this is because the state-backed station “broadcast the forced confessions of Iranians and dual-nationals who are detained and tried under politically motivated judicial procedures.”
According to the sources, the penalties will also apply to Iran’s cyber police because this organization is “central to obstructing freedom of expression by restricting internet activity in Iran.” There are also listings for four other people.
Saeed Montazer Al-Mahdi, the spokesperson for Iran’s law enforcement forces, is one of the individuals being targeted. In July, he announced the resumption of patrols to respond to individuals who, in his words, wore “extraordinary clothing” and “still insist on breaking the norms.” Among the individuals being targeted is Saeed Montazer Al-Mahdi.
It is not the first round of sanctions that Australia has implemented against individuals and entities in the Iranian regime, but it is the first time that the government has utilized the freshly enlarged criteria.
The new criteria, which were implemented in July, make it possible for those who are implicated in the persecution of women and girls in Iran as well as other types of oppression in that country to be subjected to travel bans and financial sanctions in Australia.
Wong assured the audience that the administration will “continue to take decisive and targeted action to hold Iran to account for its egregious human rights violations.”
According to Wong, “We’ve expanded the sanctions framework for Iran, and now the government is using this to target those who oppress women and girls in Iran.” This statement was made after “we’ve expanded the sanctions framework for Iran.”
“Australia stands in solidarity with the people of Iran, particularly the courageous women and girls who continue to demonstrate immense bravery in the face of ongoing repression,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement.
Wong stated that the Iranian government must “hold those responsible for death of Jina Amini to account.” He was referring to the 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the regime’s “morality police” for allegedly failing to follow stringent standards on how women should dress.
This will mark first anniversary of her death in detention, an occurrence that provoked protests that were, in turn, crushed by Iranian authorities. Her death took place one year ago.
A prior appeal had been made by Simon Birmingham, the spokesperson for the Coalition’s foreign affairs, for the government to make “a tangible response to the human rights abuses in Iran that has seen the horrific treatment of Iranian women and girls.”
“We welcomed and supported those Magnitsky-style sanctions that have been applied however, like the Iranian-Australian community, we note that Australia has consistently lagged behind like-minded nations in the application of targeted sanctions,” he said on Tuesday. “We note that Australia has consistently lagged behind like-minded nations in the application of targeted sanctions.”
“The approach taken by Australia should be reflective of the bravery and courage shown by the women and girls fighting for fundamental human rights. We unite with the diaspora community in pressing the government to take stronger action, and we reaffirm our support from both the Democratic and Republican parties for such action.
The Coalition had also questioned why, seven months after a Senate inquiry into human rights abuses in Iran, the Australian government had not yet properly responded to the findings. The inquiry had been conducted to investigate the situation in Iran. This response is anticipated to be made public in the near future.
Prior to this, Wong had issued three separate rounds of sanctions against Iran, one each in the months of December, February, and March.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said in February that Australian security agencies had foiled a foreign interference operation by Iran that was targeting an Iranian-Australian on Australian territory. The goal was to target the Iranian-Australian in Australia.
According to her, Asio was responsible for “disrupting the activities of individuals who conducted surveillance of home of an Iranian-Australian, along with extensive research of this individual and their family.”
The Iranian embassy in Canberra “strongly” disputed the charges, which it stated had been “made without providing evidence” at the time.
