US criticized over inaction on Iran's Mahsa Act sanctions

The Mahsa Amini Human rights and Security Accountability Act (MAHSA Act) was first introduced in the wake of the Woman Life Freedom protests in Iran. Mahsa Amini was arrested for “improper hijab” and died at police custody on September 16, 2022
The Mahsa Amini Human rights and Security Accountability Act (MAHSA Act) was first introduced in the wake of the Woman Life Freedom protests in Iran. Mahsa Amini was arrested for “improper hijab” and died at police custody on September 16, 2022

The US has been criticized for a lack of enforcement of the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act (MAHSA Act) three months after it was passed, sanctioning Iran's leadership.

Despite the MAHSA Act being signed into law in April, the US administration has yet to submit the required report outlining potential sanctions on the key Iranian entities and officials it was aimed to target, including the Supreme Leader.

As the 90-day deadline is set to pass, Jason Brodsky, Policy Director at United Against Nuclear Iran, wrote on X, "Today a determination was due by the Biden administration for sanctions under the MAHSA Act which the president signed into law in April. I haven't seen any. Where is it?"

The National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), a lobbying group for Iranian-Americans, said, "Its timely implementation is crucial to addressing ongoing human rights violations and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable."

The MAHSA Act, a bipartisan piece of human rights and anti-terrorism legislation, marked the first time the United States imposed sanctions specifically targeting the Iranian leadership for domestic suppression, crimes against humanity, and international terrorism.

The legislation was named after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman arrested in Tehran for improperly wearing her compulsory hijab and who died in police custody after collapsing in court. Her death has become a symbol of the Woman Life Freedom uprising.

NUFDI called on the Biden administration to "promptly address the issue" as rights abuses continue. Last year, Iran executed over 850 people, record numbers, while in the wake of the 2022 uprising, tens of thousands of political prisoners have been jailed.

Over 550 Iranians were killed in the wake of Amini's death as the government cracked down on the country's biggest threat to its legitimacy since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

US House passing Mahsa Act
US House passing Mahsa Act

Sarah Raviani, a visiting fellow at NUFDI highlighted the bill's "overwhelming bipartisan support".

"We urge the Biden administration to make this determination and sanction the Islamic Republic leaders who are responsible for gross human rights abuses and for supporting terrorism that wreaks havoc across the entire Middle East," she said.

The MAHSA Act mandates sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his Office, his appointees, Iran’s president, and several entities affiliated with Khamenei. It also requires the US President to report to Congress annually on whether these officials should remain under existing sanctions, making it more challenging for current and future administrations to lift the sanctions unilaterally.