LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Monday it had sanctioned senior Iranian security officials and its “so-called Morality Police”, saying the force had used threats of detention and violence to control what Iranian women wear and how they behave in public.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody have sparked protests across Iran, with protesters calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Citing her death, Britain said it had sanctioned the Morality Police in its entirety, as well as both its chief Mohammed Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi and the Head of the Tehran Division Haj Ahmed Mirzaei.
“These sanctions send a clear message to the Iranian authorities – we will hold you to account for your repression of women and girls and for the shocking violence you have inflicted on your own people,” Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement.
Iranian authorities have described the protests as a plot by Iran’s foes, including the United States.
(Reporting by Muvija M and William James, editing by Sarah Young)
