Info:
Hassan Karami (Karami) is the commander of the LEF Special Units and has overseen the unit during periods of nationwide unrest during which the LEF Special Units have employed excessive and lethal force against Iranian unarmed protestors, including during November 2019. He was sanctioned by the European Union in April 2021 for his role in the violent response to the November 2019 protests;
The Special Units of Iran’s Law Enforcement Forces (LEF Special Units) are the dedicated crowd control and protest suppression unit of Iran’s LEF, one of the Government of Iran’s main security apparatuses that played a key role in the crackdown on protesters in the aftermath of the disputed Iranian presidential election in 2009. Serious human rights abuses against prisoners detained in the post-election protests also occurred at a detention facility run by the LEF;
Karami is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the LEF Special Units;
Involved In:
Human Rights Abuses
Positions:
– Police Commander , Isfahan Province (2010 – 2012)
– Commander of NAJA Special Units (2012 – present)
Human Rights Violation:
Killing and suppressing protesters (Nov 2019)
Also Known As:
Hasan Karami
Born:
1960
Country:
Iran
POB:
Urmia, Iran
Nationality:
Iran
Reason for the color:
» Added to the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on December 7, 2021 pursuant to Executive Order 13553 for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the LEF Special Units;
» On 12 April 2021, the Council of the European Union added 8 Iranian officials including Hasssan Karami, to its list of human rights sanctions for their role in widespread and grave violations of the rights of Iranian citizens. According to the EU statement, “as the Commander of the Special Units, which have caused the deaths of and injuries to unarmed protesters and other civilians, Hassan Karami bears responsibility for serious human rights violations in Iran.” As a result of these sanctions, Karami has been banned from entering the EU and his assets in the EU have been frozen;