The US Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranian judges on the charge of punishing Iranian and dual citizens for exercising their right to free speech and assembly.

In its statement on Thursday, the Treasury Department announced: “Abolghassem Salavati and Mohammad Moghisseh oversaw the Iranian regime’s miscarriage of justice in show trials in which journalists, attorneys, political activists, and members of Iran’s ethnic and religious minority groups were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, lashes, and even execution.”

According to these sanctions, all the properties and assets of these two judges in the United States will be frozen and American citizens are forbidden to do business with them. Also, banks or individuals who help the two judges will see their access to the American financial system blocked and assets frozen.

The Secretary of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin announced that the United States will target people within the regime of Iran who seek to suppress the protesters and persecute and harass the religious minorities and silence the Iranian people.

At the same time, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the restriction of visa for current or previous Islamic Republic officials who had a role in mistreatment or arrests of the peaceful protesters in Iran.

He announced on Thursday: “The United States has stood, and will stand under President Trump, for the Iranian people. The appeasement of the regime simply will not work.”

Judge Salavati presides over Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. He is nicknamed “the Judge of Death” for sentencing so many people to capital punishment. Judge Moghisseh is most famous for sentencing artists to lengthy prison sentences for “collusion and conspiracy against national security” or “propaganda against the regime” in their artwork.