Lordegan Protests; Parliament Establishes Truth Commission
The Hope Faction has called for a comprehensive report on the events in Lordegan and the village of Chanarmahmudi and the reading of this report in an open parliamentary session. The Deputy Health Minister says the unrest is not related to HIV and health issues should not become a security matter.
The Hope Faction has called for a comprehensive report on the events in Lordegan and its reading in an open parliamentary session. The Deputy Health Minister says health sector issues should not be turned into a security matter.
On Sunday, October 5th, a number of representatives sent a letter to the parliamentary leadership requesting a comprehensive report on the Lordegan events to be prepared and read in the open session. Fateme Saidi, one of the signatories of this letter, wrote in a tweet that if this request is approved, the Health Commission will be responsible for preparing and presenting a comprehensive report on the events in Chanarmahmudi village.
Mohammadali Vakili, a member of the parliamentary leadership board, also said that by forming a truth commission, the documentation of the events in Chanarmahmudi village will be presented to parliament.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Health, during a visit to Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, visited the “Behavioral Diseases Counseling Center” in the city of Kard. Dr. Alireza Raisi said that all visits to this center were voluntary and without any coercion, and all services of this center are provided while maintaining the confidentiality of visitors and with full respect and preservation of individuals’ dignity: “We must, taking into account the conditions and concerns of patients and their families, fulfill our duty of awareness, education, diagnosis and treatment well, and through awareness prevent any misuse by adversaries.”
The Deputy Health Minister added that social protests and unrest have no connection to the issue of HIV infection: “The residents of the village are these days voluntarily and willingly visiting mosques and bases for testing and diagnostic examinations.”
He emphasized that throughout Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, specialized teams have acted according to protocols and standards, and treatment measures have been provided to people with full respect and confidentiality: “Only a small number of HIV virus tests in this region, like other parts of the country and province, have been positive.”
Following the announcement of HIV positive cases in the villages of Chanarmahmudi, gatherings and protests were held in Lordegan, with the turning point being Saturday, September 4th. Angry residents pelted the health department office with stones, tore down the governorate sign, and set fire to the office and vehicle of the Friday Prayer Imam.
The protests turned violent. Security forces fired into the air and threw tear gas at the protesters. A number were also arrested. The scope of Lordegan protests extended to Isfahan and Ilam, and residents of these two cities took to the streets in support of the Lordegan protesters.
Saturday evening, the Governor of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari claimed that the residents of Chanarmahmudi did not participate in the Lordegan protests, but rather a “complex splinter faction” within the gathering of people was pursuing its own agenda. He attributed the attacks on the governorate, health department, and the Friday Prayer Imam’s office in Lordegan to “counter-revolution.” He also announced the arrest of the son of “one of the prominent exiled counter-revolutionary figures.”
Islamic Republic officials have announced that Lordegan is in complete peace and the situation has normalized.
Source: DW
