Intelligence Ministry forces attack the home of Behrouz Maroti, director of the campaign to support the disabled
Yesterday, Ministry of Intelligence forces raided the home of Behrouz Maroti, director of the Campaign to Support the Disabled, and confiscated his personal belongings.
On Monday, October 17, 1402, disabled people staged nationwide protests against the failure to implement Article 27 of the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons. Article 27 of the Law on the Protection of Disabled Persons states that the government is obligated to allocate allowances for the livelihood of people with very severe or severe disabilities who are unemployed and have no income, in a manner that is equal to the annual minimum wage. In addition, the necessary funds must be provided for people with disabilities in the country's annual budget laws.
Monday's rally was the sixth nationwide rally of disabled people, which took place in cities including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Ardabil, Kermanshah, Kerman, Sari, Arak, Izeh, Chabahar, Karaj, Shahrekord, Qom, Divandareh, Ahvaz, Borujerd, and Sanandaj in front of the Planning and Budget Organization, governorates, governorships, and welfare departments, all to demand rights that have been violated for years. Behrouz Maroti has consistently covered the civil rights of these people in Iran and in the campaign to support the disabled in recent years. It should be noted that Behrouz Maroti himself is a disabled person.
Yesterday, Wednesday, October 19, 1402, two days after the nationwide gathering of the disabled, the Ministry of Intelligence forces raided Mr. Maroti's home and after searching his home, confiscated his personal belongings. Since the officers were unable to take Behrouz Maroti with them due to the severity of his disability, they informed him that he must report to one of the Ministry of Intelligence centers today, Thursday, October 10. The Ministry of Intelligence has given Behrouz Maroti until the morning of Friday, October 10, to report to the notified location.
It should be noted that the budget bill submitted to the parliament by the government of Ebrahim Raisi removed budget lines related to people with disabilities, which also drew criticism from economic experts. While the government is obligated to pay amounts to each person with severe, very severe, and disabled disabilities to implement Law 27, the Planning and Budget Organization, along with the government, has refused to pay it.
Behrouz Maroti, who suffers from severe muscular dystrophy, launched a campaign to support the rights of people with disabilities after a protest rally by disabled people in 2016, along with many other disabled people. It should be noted that his two other brothers also have disabilities like Behrouz Maroti.
The government has not only refused to pay the rights and citizenship of the disabled, but has also responded with violence to any kind of protest behavior on their part. The disabled protesters, including children, were among those protesting, and in the videos released, a little girl who was blind was also present.
