Summons, Threats, and Dismissals of Doctors Who Spoke About Coronavirus Statistics
Dr. Rahim Yousefpour, an internal medicine specialist in Saghez city in Iran, told the Iran Human Rights Campaign in an interview that after being summoned to the third branch of the Revolutionary Court in Saghez, he was released on a bail of 500 million tomans.
Mr. Yousefpour told the campaign that he has been accused of spreading false information and disturbing public opinion by publicizing the number of coronavirus patients and deaths in Saghez city in Kurdistan Province.
In recent days, three government officials in Iran who had rejected the official statistics presented by the Islamic Republic have been dismissed, and several doctors in different cities across Iran have been placed under pressure.
Iranian media reported on Saturday, April 12 the dismissal of Ghodratollah Akhavan Akbari, the head of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, and the IRNA news agency described Mr. Akbari’s dismissal as “unexpected.” Before him, Ismail Farzaneh, the head of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil, had been dismissed after stating in an interview with Ardabil State Radio and Television that “the actual number of coronavirus patients is higher than the reported figures.”
Dr. Farzaneh had said, “The medical staff are severely exhausted and some have been infected. Now Imam Khomeini Hospital, which has dedicated itself to serious patients, is completely full. If a new serious patient comes, we will definitely face problems and our equipment is inadequate. People must comply. No one is safe.”
Dr. Hassan Adeli, the vice-chancellor of Qom University of Medical Sciences, is another official who has been dismissed in recent days following an interview about coronavirus patient statistics.
Dr. Rahim Yousefpour, an internal medicine specialist in Saghez, Kurdistan, Iran, told the campaign in an interview that he was summoned to the Revolutionary Court and charged following his publicizing of coronavirus patient statistics. Mr. Yousefpour told the campaign: “More than a month and a half ago, I warned on my personal Instagram that the coronavirus figures in Saghez county were in the thousands. Unfortunately, officials ignored this, and I received a summons for each Instagram post—meaning 8 summonses were sent to me. On April 5, I appeared before the third branch of the Revolutionary Court in Saghez, where I was informed of charges of spreading false information and disturbing public opinion, even though I had stated the truth to inform the people.”
Dr. Yousefpour told the campaign: “The records and documents of Imam Khomeini and Social Security hospitals in Saghez are available. My warning was that we have no test kits at all and our diagnosis is based on CT scans. Based on CT scans that have been conducted, more than a thousand people are coronavirus positive. Of course, thank God, at least during this period the people in Saghez complied and the coronavirus trend in the city has become linear, moving away from an upward trajectory. But at the cost of doctors, nurses, and service staff—the medical staff—being involved.”
Mr. Yousefpour announced the issuance of a 500 million toman bail and told the campaign: “We were released on bail and we continue to serve. But after that, I have been called several times and threatened that if you speak with foreign networks, we will deal with you. The phone number doesn’t end and they say we are from the Sepah’s intelligence and no more statistics, don’t give statistics. We are working honestly without resources and they call and threaten us this way. The reality is that I don’t feel safe, which is why I am giving this interview so people are informed.”
In Isfahan Province, an informed source reported to the Iran Human Rights Campaign the dismissal of Dr. Nasrollah Sourani, an anesthesia specialist, from Issa bin Maryam Hospital due to publicizing coronavirus patient statistics in the province.
Nemat Ahmadi, a lawyer who represents Dr. Sourani, said in an interview with the Iran Human Rights Campaign that Dr. Sourani reported the coronavirus outbreak on November 2 and was therefore repeatedly threatened and a complaint was filed against him, though the complaint and case have remained unresolved.
Mr. Ahmadi told the campaign about the legal basis for such conduct: “We have a law passed on June 1, 1941—a few months before the end of Reza Shah’s reign—titled ‘Law for the Prevention of Contagious and Infectious Diseases.’ Based on this law, if anyone knows someone has an infectious disease and does not report it, and as a result the other party becomes infected and the infected person complains to the judicial authorities, the person will be sentenced to imprisonment. The health department is also obligated to report the number of patients to the health authorities monthly, and doctors are obliged to report anyone with an infectious disease immediately to the health department. According to Article 22 of this law, those who prevent the implementation of health regulations or as a result of negligence cause the spread of an infectious disease are punished with imprisonment and a fine. This means if a doctor does not report, they are prosecuted for wrongdoing, not when they have reported.”
Nemat Ahmadi also referred to Article 688 of the Islamic Penal Code and told the campaign: “Based on this article, any action that is recognized as a threat to public health, such as contaminating drinking water or distributing contaminated drinking water, unsanitary disposal of human and animal waste and waste materials, dumping toxic substances in rivers, waste in streets and unlawful slaughter of animals, unauthorized use of raw sewage or treated wastewater from wastewater treatment plants for agricultural purposes is prohibited, and perpetrators, unless subject to stricter punishment under specific laws, shall be sentenced to a fine and imprisonment up to one year. Determining whether the aforementioned action is a threat to public health and environmental pollution, as well as filing charges as appropriate, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, the Environment Organization, and the Veterinary Organization.”
This lawyer told the campaign: “We only have these two laws, and both say that if I have a disease and do not report it to the health authorities and others catch it from me, it is even at the level of murder—meaning I should be punished at the level of a murderer, and if expenses are incurred by the other person from my disease, I must pay them. If a doctor does not report, they are prosecuted. But if a doctor says we have such a disease and the system wants to deal with them, we don’t have such a law at all.”
Source: Iran Human Rights Campaign
