August 16, 2024
The Islamic Republic has sanctioned 11 Americans you have probably never heard of for human rights violations resulting from their actions against protesters supporting Gazans. The 11 sanctioned are the heads of police departments that cleared protesters from college campuses at the order of university officials.
The sanctions are an effort by the authorities in Tehran to a) show their support for Gaza and b) portray the American government as a major violator of human rights for preventing protests. In most cases, the protesters were cleared not for protesting, however, but for blocking traffic or occupying buildings.
The Iranian sanctions copy American sanctions given to Iranians accused by the US of human rights violations. The sanctions freeze all assets in Iran of those sanctioned and forbid the issuance of visas to them. As a result, they will not be able to vacation in Iran.
The 11 Americans sanctioned are: * William Hitchens, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety of Georgia; * Eddie Grier, Commanding Officer for Field Operations of DPS Georgia; * Linda J. Stump-Kurnick, Chief of the University of Florida Police Department; * Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia; * Jeffery Carroll, Executive Assistant Chief, Metropolitan Police Department of DC; * Karl Jacobson, Chief of New Haven, Connecticut, Police Department; * Shane Streepy, Assistant Chief of University of Texas Police Department; * Michael Cox, Commissioner of the Boston Police Department; * Scott Dunning, The Indiana University Police Department Central Division Chief; * Michael Thompson, The Arizona State University Police Chief; and * John Brockie, Chief of the California State University Long Beach Police Department.
