New Letter Urges Targeted Sanctions for Violence Against Iranian Protestors
Washington, DC — The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) celebrates the bipartisan, bicameral letter sent to Secretaries Blinken and Yellen today, calling on the Biden Administration to impose further sanctions on Iranian officials and institutions that have supported acts of violence against peaceful protestors in Iran.
The letter was led by Representatives Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and Katie Porter (D-CA) as well as Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). We worked closely with our allies in Congress to build support for this crucial letter, helping to secure 9 of the 24 additional signatories. The Iranian American Democrats of California (IADC), the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), and the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) joined us in supporting the letter.
Since the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, at least 519 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces and over 19,000 people have been arrested in connection with the protests. Many of those imprisoned for their support of a free Iranian society are facing capital punishment, and four have already been executed.
“Innocent lives hang in the balance, and there is an urgent need to deter the perpetrators of these murders from committing further violence,” the letter reads. “We strongly encourage the Departments of State and the Treasury to levy further sanctions against Iranian officials and institutions involved in this brutal campaign of intimidation and extermination.”
The letter sent today specifically calls on the Administration to impose sanctions against the 227 Iranian Majles members (members of Iran’s parliamentary body) who called for ‘no leniency’ against the protestors as well as issue sanctions against their families, preventing them from studying, working, or acquiring property in the United States.
PAAIA stands with the Iranian people and their right to self-determination. The horrific human rights abuses perpetrated by the Islamic Republic’s security forces and endorsed by the Majles must be met with swift action. We thank the lawmakers who initiated this letter and the many who signed on in support of these sanctions for continuing to stand with the Iranian people at this critical time.
About PAAIA
The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization that serves the interests of Iranian Americans and represents the community before U.S. policymakers and the American public at large.
