06 March 2020 :
The Hands off Cain-Spes contra Spem association, which promoted a campaign to update the European list of members of the Iranian regime subject to restrictive measures for violation of human rights called "The faces of repression", welcomes the question with a request for a written answer that the Euro MPs Antonio Tajani and Massimiliano Salini, both from Forza Italia, addressed to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on this issue.
The question starts with the consideration that "since the election of Hassan Rouhani as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in June 2013, over 3800 prisoners have been executed. In 2019 alone, 285 executions took place, including those of eight minors and seventeen women." He goes on to say that “In the past few months, during the demonstrations against the regime in the streets, there have been at least 1,500 dead and 4,000 injured, including women and children. More than 12,000 arrests have been made: of these Iranians, to date, nothing is known."
MPs Tajani and Salini then point out that “the European Union has already prepared a list of members of the Iranian regime subject to restrictive measures for violation of human rights. This list must be updated by April 13, as per the provision of the European Council 2019/562."
I therefore ask: "What actions does the High Representative intend to take towards the Iranian regime which is not a solution but the cause of continuous crises and the main element of instability in the Middle East? How and with what criteria does the High Representative intend to update the list of exponents of the Iranian regime subjected to economic and financial sanctions for their serious violations of human rights? Does the High Representative intend to ban visas and entry permits to Europe from the perpetrators of these crimes? "