The administration of US President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on six senior employees of a the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the Iranian state-run media corporation.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic of IRIB produced and broadcast “interviews with individuals who were forced to admit that their relatives were not killed by Iranian authorities” during the demonstrations.
Two of the sanctioned individuals, Ali Rezvani and Ameneh Sadat Zabihpour, have been identified as “investigators-journalists”, accused of collaborating with Iranian intelligence agencies to extract coerced confessions.
Crucial tool in the crackdown
The US Treasury said Broadcasting Corporation and its affiliates “are not as objective media outlets but as a critical tool in the Iranian government’s campaign of mass repression and censorship against its own people.”
It also confirmed that “the foundation produced and broadcast interviews with people who were forced to admit that their relatives were not killed by the Iranian authorities during the recent protests, but that they died for reasons unrelated to the demonstrations.”
Accountability of the Iranian government
“The Iranian government’s systematic reliance on coerced confessions demonstrates the government’s refusal to tell the truth to its citizens and the international community,” Brian Nelson, Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said in the statement.
He also added, “The United States remains committed to supporting the Iranian people as they continue their peaceful protests,” explaining that Washington will continue to hold the Iranian government accountable for human rights violations and censorship.
Unprecedented protests
The announcement comes as the Iranian government is grappling with widespread protests, against the background of the death of Mahsa Amini in mid-September.
Protests have erupted in Iran since September 16, 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini, 3 days after she was arrested by the morality police for not complying with the strict rules of dress in the Islamic Republic.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), 362 people were killed in the recent protests, including 56 minors. The agency said that it also witnessed the killing of 46 security personnel, in addition to the arrest of 16,033 people.
