Authorities pressure and threaten doctors and hospitals to prevent free treatment for the wounded
Pressure and threats from authorities to prevent free treatment for those injured in the protests have exposed doctors and medical centers to repression.
In recent days, as widespread protests continue in Iran and the wave of bloody repression of protesters continues, independent reports and numerous domestic and international sources have reported pressure and threats from security, intelligence, and judicial authorities on the medical community and hospital officials to prevent free treatment for those injured in the protests.
These reports indicate that government forces are actively trying to not only stop free treatment, but are also monitoring and threatening to arrest doctors who provide medical services.
According to reports published by Starlink Internet, medical sources have announced in messages that Iranian security and judicial officials have visited private hospitals and threatened their managers with arrest if they continue to provide free treatment to those injured in the protests.
The messages state that they even tried to take the CEO of a well-known hospital with them, but they were met with resistance. On the other hand, it is claimed that a list of doctors treating the injured has been prepared and that they will be arrested and punished after the situation calms down.
At the same time, international media outlets reported that security forces had made threatening calls to doctors, asking them not to treat the protesters’ wounded or to report them to security agencies if they did. According to sources, these calls were accompanied by alarm bells and forced doctors to reconsider their practices.
Independent human rights sources have also reported that in some cities, such as Ilam, security forces have raided hospitals, broken down doors, and attempted to detain those injured in the protests; an action that has met with resistance from staff and families of the injured, causing widespread disruption to the provision of medical services.
These reports are being published in the context of a wave of widespread protests in Iran, where, according to human rights sources and foreign media, hospitals in cities such as Tehran and other areas are under pressure, facing a massive wave of injuries, and the resources necessary for treatment are increasingly limited.
These measures are reported while the history of restricting treatment and threatening doctors in Iranian protests dates back to previous periods of protests, including in 2022, when security forces directly prevented the injured from receiving medical treatment and pressured doctors.
Independent and circumstantial reports indicate that Iranian security officials are attempting to restrict treatment of protest casualties by threatening and pressuring doctors and hospitals. This policy, in addition to violating patients’ basic rights to treatment, has exposed medical staff to legal and security risks. At the same time, the increasing number of injured and limited medical facilities have brought the health system in many cities to the brink of crisis.
