EU sanctions Iranian judges and cyber group founder, raising fresh questions about digital enforcement

The European Union slapped sanctions on five Iranian judges and the founder of one of Iran’s most prominent cyber groups on July 24, 2026. The move targets individuals tied to politically motivated death sentences, imprisonment of dissidents, and state-backed cyber operations against domestic opponents. Who got sanctioned and why The five judges all served in regional Revolutionary courts across Iran. Their courtrooms produced death sentences, lengthy prison terms, flogging orders, and financial penalties against political dissidents. Among those subjected to these politically motivated trials: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi. Then there’s Nima Salehi, the founder of the Ashiyane Digital Security group. The Ashiyane group has carried out cyber-attacks against domestic political opponents and coordinates with Iran’s Cyber Police, known as FATA, as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In English: this is a state-aligned hacking operation with formal ties to Iran’s security apparatus. The sanctions package includes asset freezes and travel bans, standard tools in the EU’s human rights enforcement toolkit. A pattern, not a one-off This isn’t the EU suddenly discov...