Statement on sanctions listing Thijs Reuten MEP by Islamic Republic of Iran

Met dank overgenomen van Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA) i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 25 januari 2023.

Today, the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran imposed sanctions on Thijs Reuten, Member of the European Parliament. Reuten is a vocal supporter of the Iranian people in their struggle for democracy and freedom.

Reuten: “This is a clear sign of the regime’s utter weakness. Supreme Leader Khamenei knows his credibility is lost. Millions of brave Iranians, both inside the country and in the diaspora, demand democracy and freedom. The Islamic Republic’s only response is mass repression, barbaric executions, and now this bizarre sanctions charade.”

Several other European politicians, including the Netherlands’ Bart Groothuis, were subjected to asset freezes and visa bans in retaliation for their support for democracy.

“I will wear these sanctions as a badge of honour. If the Islamic Republic thinks this will stop me from supporting the Iranian people and getting the IRGC designated as a terrorist organisation, they are sorely mistaken. This absurd listing will only strengthen my resolve to stand up to the brutality of the regime in Tehran. All protesters must be released immediately and unconditionally, and the Council must swiftly designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.”

Reuten, who serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, is the author of amendment 59 to the Parliament’s annual report on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, adopted on 18 January 2023, which called for the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. He also sponsored two resolutions, on 6 October 2022 and on 19 January 2023, urging decisive EU measures in support of the Iranian people. Reuten has served as a Member of the European Parliament for the centre-left S&D Group on behalf of the Netherlands since 2021.