Christian Solidarity Worldwide has welcomed news that the British government will be imposing sanctions on 10 Iranians and on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC).
The sanctions were announced by the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, in response to a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. The exact numbers killed are unknown but are believed to be in the thousands and possibly even tens of thousands. Whatever the true number, many more have been arrested.
Cooper said, “The Iranian people have shown extreme courage in the face of brutality and repression over recent weeks simply for exercising their right to peaceful protest. The reports and shocking scenes of violence that have been seen around the world are horrific.”
Similar sanctions have been imposed by the European Union, which also designated the IRGC as a terrorist group, as have, Australia, Canada and the US.
Protests in Iran began in December with the Bazaris, shopkeepers who are generally loyal to the regime. Essentially going on strike due to concerns about the economy, rather than on political grounds, the Iranian government actually made concessions, such as wage rises and tax cuts.
However, when separate protests against the government itself began, the regime came down on them hard.
Iran is currently ranked the 10th worst persecutor of Christians in the world by Open Doors, with converts from Islam particularly at risk.
Mervyn Thomas, president and founder of CSW welcomed the decision by Britain to impose sanctions.
“CSW welcomes the UK government’s imposition of sanctions on Iranian individuals and organisations responsible for unleashing extreme violence and committing severe human rights violations against protesters. However, we encourage the UK government to go further still, and designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
“We also continue to urge the government of Iran to refrain from using violence against unarmed civilians, end its campaign of arbitrary arrests, immediately release all those detained in connection with the protests, and respect its obligations under international law, and particularly under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is party.”
