Overview

Parviz Absalan is the U.S.-designated deputy commander of the Salman Corps of Sistan and Baluchistan province of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Salman Corps were involved in the violent suppression of protests in Sistan and Baluchistan, which resulted in some of the highest casualties nationwide following the outbreak of protests in September 2022.“Treasury Sanctions Senior Iranian Officials Overseeing Violent Protest Suppression and Censorship,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, April 24, 2023, https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1436. Absalan holds the rank of general. According to the European Union, security forces in Sistan and Baluchestan province used brutal violence against peaceful protesters during protests in the fall of 2022. The European Union determined Absalan is responsible for “serious human rights violations in Iran” as deputy head of the IRGC in Sistan and Baluchestan.Official Journal of the European Union, “COUNCIL IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2022/2231 of 14 November 2022 implementing Regulation (EU) No 359/2011 concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies in view of the situation in Iran,” EUR-Lex, November 14, 2022, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32022R2231&from=EN.

In September 2022, the IRGC joined in violently suppressing protests that erupted after the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died in custody after being detained by Tehran’s morality police, the Guidance Patrol, earlier in the month. The Guidance Patrol sent Amini to a detention center to undergo re-education when they claimed she was not wearing a hijab properly. She died three days later. In response, protests erupted across the country against Iran’s theocratic rule. The IRGC aided in suppressing the protests, leading to violent clashes with protesters. At least 522 protesters have been killed since the protests began.Arsalan Shahla, “Iran Launches Artillery Against Militants in Northern Iraq,” September 24, 2022, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-24/iran-launches-artillery-against-militants-in-northern-iraq?leadSource=uverify%20wall; “IRGC will not hesitate to target origin of any anti-Iran operation wherever it may be: General,” Press TV, September 27, 2022, https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/09/27/689915/IRGC-will-not-hesitate-target-origin-any-anti-Iran-operation-General; Caitlin McFall, “The Guardian Patrol sent Amini to a detention center to undergo re-education when they claimed she was not wearing a hijab properly. She died three days later.,” Fox News, September 24, 2022, https://www.foxnews.com/world/protestors-clash-revolutionary-guard-northern-iran-torch-irgc-base-reports; “Iran’s Guards Break Their Silence, Warn Protesters,” Iran International, September 22, 2022, https://www.iranintl.com/en/202209229946; “Lebanon’s Hezbollah Helping Iran In Its Pro-Government Propaganda,” Iran International, October 9, 2022, https://www.iranintl.com/en/202210091141; Vivian Yee and Farnaz Fassihi, “Iran Has Abolished Morality Police, an Official Suggests, After Months of Protests,” New York Times, last updated December 5, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/world/middleeast/iran-morality-police.html; Patrick Wintour and Maryam Foumani, “Iran: mass strike starts amid mixed messages around abolishment of morality police,” Guardian (London), December 5, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/05/iran-strike-abolishment-morality-police; Agence France-Presse, “At least 522 Have Died in Iran Protests, Human Rights Report Says,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, January15, 2023, https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-protests-death-count-human-rights-report/32224340.html#:~:text=At%20least%20522%20people%20have,security%20forces%2C%20the%20agency%20reported.