New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced Wellington will impose travel bans on members of the Iranian security forces over the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini and Iran's response to subsequent protests.

“What happened to Mahsa Amini is inexcusable, New Zealand continues to stand with the people of Iran, especially women and girls. New Zealand will always advocate strongly for the right to peaceful protest and greater civil and political freedoms and condemns the actions of the Iranian authorities in their brutal suppression of protestors simply advocating for basic universal rights,” Jacinda Ardern said.

“We will continue to respond alongside international partners to condemn the violence, seek increased scrutiny of events in Iran, back an investigation by an independent outside body, and call on Iranian authorities to de-escalate their response and commute all death sentences,” Jacinda Ardern added.

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said that “the travel bans send a message that we will not tolerate the denial of basic human rights and the violent suppression of protests in Iran”.

“New Zealand already has sanctions against Iranian individuals and companies under our UN sanctions, which involve asset freezes and export bans. Today we go further to target officials linked to the death of Mahsa Amini and the repression of protests that followed,” she added.

The travel bans affect 22 people, including Hossein Salami, Commander in Chief of the IRGC; Gholam-Reza Soleimani, Commander of the Basij; Hossein Ashtari, Commander of the Police (Law Enforcement Command); and Mohammed Rostami, head of the Morality Police, according to a statement released by New Zealand’s Government. (ILKHA)