The New Zealand government has placed travel bans on 22 Iranian security guards, including members of the morality police, who are connected to the death of Mahsa Amini and the violent response to protests that it sparked.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand will always support the right to peaceful protest and condemned the Iranian authorities for the brutal suppression of protestors.
“We will continue to respond alongside international partners to condemn the violence, seek increased scrutiny of events in Iran, back an investigation by an independent outside body, and call on Iranian authorities to de-escalate their response and commute all death sentences.”
The individuals affected by the ban include Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); Gholam-Reza Soleimani, commander of the Basij (paramilitary force); Hossein Ashtari, commander of the police; and Mohammed Rostami, head of the morality police.
The prime minister indicated that more bans may follow and those affected won’t be allowed to enter or transit in New Zealand.
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the bans sent a “strong message” that New Zealand doesn’t tolerate the violent suppression of protests and denial of human rights in Iran.
“New Zealand already has sanctions against Iranian individuals and companies under our U.N. sanctions, which involve asset freezes and export bans. Today we go further to target officials linked to the death of Mahsa Amini and the repression of protests that followed,” Mahuta said.
She said they'll continue to explore other measures that would send a “clear signal” that the actions of the Iranian authorities were out of line with globally accepted human rights.
“These travel bans are not the end of our sanctions. Additional individuals and further measures are under consideration,” she said.
The country has supported multilateral efforts, such as those of the U.N. Human Rights Council, and has also suspended its human rights dialogue with Iran indefinitely.
New Zealand established its human rights dialogue with Iran in 2018 in hopes of advancing its human rights concerns.
The first dialogue was held in 2021, however, Mahuta said the recent events showed that Iran’s position on human rights is deteriorating, not improving.
Protests in Iran, Escalating Actions
New Zealand’s announcement came after Iranian officials announced they had executed a prisoner for a crime allegedly committed during one of the ongoing protests, which it claimed was the first death penalty carried out.However, human rights activists claim that Tehran has already made at least a dozen of executions for participation in the demonstrations.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights, said the first official execution must be met with strong reactions; otherwise, daily executions of protesters may follow.
“This execution must have rapid practical consequences internationally,” he said.
Mohsen Shekari was jailed and executed for allegedly blocking a street and using a machete to attack a member of the security forces, who required stitches for his wounds.
Shekari was tried and convicted in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, which typically holds closed-door cases. He was found guilty on the charge of “moharebeh,” a Farsi word meaning “waging war against God.”
Western leaders strongly condemned the execution, with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong calling on Iran to “immediately halt” executions.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Green Party spokesperson for foreign affairs, Golriz Ghahraman, said the government needed to carry out stronger action to send a message to Iran.
“On the face of it, the government’s travel ban announced today sounds significant—but the reality is, it will have little impact on those individuals targeted,” she said. “What will make a difference is freezing the assets of these individuals, cutting diplomatic ties, and designating the IRGC as a terror organization.”
