Amnesty International Reacts to Supreme Leader’s Vaccine Purchase Ban: Khamenei Has Gambled with the Lives of Millions
Amnesty International condemned the order issued by Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to prohibit the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines from Britain and the United States and deprive the Iranian people of these vaccines.
Amnesty International stated in a statement published on Twitter on Thursday, December 19, that these vaccines save lives and banning them is a step in “degrading human rights” which Iranian regime officials have been doing for “several decades”.
Amnesty International emphasized that Iran’s leader “has gambled with the lives of millions of people and prioritized politics over people,” while no one should be deprived of access to health services, including vaccines.
According to the international organization’s announcement, the coronavirus outbreak in Iran has claimed the lives of more than 55,000 people, and Iranian authorities must “stop their shameless disregard for their international human rights obligations.”
On Friday, December 19, the leader of the Islamic Republic said in a televised speech that he has no “trust and confidence” in vaccines made by Britain and the United States and declared their entry prohibited. His remarks were met with a wave of protests and dissatisfaction on social media networks, and the social media platform Twitter removed the English translation of his remarks that had been posted on his user account, citing “misleading” claims.
