By 
Giulia Villa
Jimmy Chan, August 4, 2018
The EU imposes new sanctions on Iran for human rights violations in the prison system. However, there is a need to reflect on similar issues within its own member states, highlighting a possible double standard.
A statement from the Council of the European Union announced that new sanctions would be imposed on seven individuals and two Iranian entities linked to the prison system. Due to repeated human rights violations regarding arbitrary detention, freedom of religion, and freedom of opinion and expression, the European institution deemed it necessary to intensify and renew the sanctions. The measures implemented not only have a punitive role in sanctioning those directly responsible but also a symbolic one, as they aim to denounce serious and systematic human rights violations at the international level.
The dangerous rise in violent and threatening measures against human rights defenders, journalists, and political dissidents highlights the use of justice as a political weapon to silence any form of dissent. Such practices only increase the concerns among European states, particularly regarding the arbitrary detention of individuals with European or dual citizenship and the use of the judiciary as a political leverage.
In this context, the European Union assumes a role of visibility and transparency as a catalyst for international debate, primarily aimed at holding governments accountable for inhumane conditions, in this case, within the prison system. Specifically, the sanctions are directly focused on two entities: Shiraz Central Prison, located in Fars Province, and the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, which have played a key role in the aforementioned violations. Moreover, regarding the improper use of judicial measures, the sanctions directly target seven members of the judicial apparatus.
The current sanctions are part of a broader context based on the annual renewal of restrictive measures since 2011, specifically from 2022, with 11 sanction packages adopted concerning issues directly related to abuses and human rights violations in Iran. At present, the sanctions imposed on Iran target 232 individuals and 44 entities, consisting of restrictions on exports/imports aimed at facilitating internal repression, both logistically, economically, and regarding the movement of individuals.
The EU’s role is therefore central in condemning serious human rights violations in the specific Iranian case, particularly regarding the disproportionate use of force, arbitrary detention to silence dissent, the use of torture, and degrading treatment of prisoners. This includes the increasing number of death sentences and severe restrictions on communication, as well as calls for the immediate elimination of discrimination against women and the prevention of gender-based violence. In 2022, alarming incidents included the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police and the violent repression of peaceful protests that led to the deaths of hundreds of individuals.
The measures taken represent a clear political signal against the use of torture and arbitrary detention, which, without such positions, would likely be ignored by the international community. For this reason, the role of organisations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) on these issues highlights the importance of a solid network of non-governmental organisations, human rights groups, and international organisations capable of shining a light on the severity of these violations.
Although this case focuses on a non-European country, it remains essential as it prompts civil society to pay greater attention to issues within EU countries, such as the administrative detention of migrants or inadequate prison conditions. Numerous reports of fundamental rights violations are monitored by various organisations.
A telling example is migrant repatriation centres (CPR) in Italy, which, intended for the treatment of foreign nationals without residence permits awaiting expulsion, are plagued by degrading conditions, lack of healthcare, and incidents of violence. The recently approved security bill, which increases penalties for those protesting within the CPRs, only exacerbates an already dire situation.
In Greece, similar conditions have been reported in the so-called ‘hotspots’ on the islands of Samos and Lesbos, where asylum seekers, according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, are subjected to de facto detention, violating EU and international laws. At the same time, in France, numerous local NGOs have denounced the disproportionate use of force and arbitrary detentions of migrants in detention centres, subject to several investigations by the Défenseur des Droits. These examples show that such degrading detention conditions are also present in the European context, calling into question European standards, which are accused of being inconsistent in their internal and international application.
Sources and Further Readings:
Italy: Human rights report 2023
Iran 2025: Human rights in Iran
Iran: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union
Iran: Security forces rape, torture detainees
Iran: Government continues systematic repression and escalates surveillance
Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Report of the Special Rapporteur
Torture and ill-treatment often intertwined with intolerance and discrimination
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