Foreign Affairs Minister, Nanaia Mahuta has announced the extension of travel bans on those responsible for the Iranian government’s violent response to protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody last year.
“Our first and second tranches of travel bans sent a message to Iran that Aotearoa New Zealand will not tolerate the denial of basic human rights and the violent suppression of protests in Iran, and this third trache reiterates that same message,” Ms Mahuta said.
“Despite international pressure, the Iranian regime has continued that severe and excessive repression of peaceful demonstrators since Mahsa Amini’s death, including the unconscionable execution on the 19th of May of three people in connection with their role in the protests.”
Minister Mahuta said that New Zealand, along with like-minded international partners, remained deeply concerned by the continued handing down of death sentences in unfair trials and the strict enforcement of the Islamic dress code on Iranian women and girls.
“In light of ongoing human rights abuses and the regime’s consistent failure to peacefully resolve the situation in Iran, we have extended the list of banned individuals from 37 to 55,” she said.
“This extension covers more senior Iranian officials involved in the violent suppression of protests and human rights violations, members of the Iranian Judiciary responsible for handing down capital punishment sentences in unfair trials, and members of both the Law Enforcement Command and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps .
“New Zealand is appalled at the total lack of transparency over the administration of justice. The weaponisation of criminal procedures and politically motivated executions is contemptible and must end.
“Today’s extension of the travel ban is a continuation of a series of deliberate measures which demonstrate the seriousness with which we view the current human rights situation in Iran. New Zealand calls on Iran to immediately stop the violation of the human rights of Iranians, including by commuting all death penalty sentences that have been imposed,” Ms Mahuta said.
The list of individuals will remain under review and can be viewed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade website. The range of measures New Zealand has taken in response to recent human rights violations in Iran is also available on the MFAT website.
“This is not the end of our efforts with Iran. Additional individuals and further measures remain under consideration given the Iranian state’s ongoing egregious abuses of human rights,” Minister Mahuta said.
