Horror in Tehran: Wounded Protesters Dragged From Hospital Beds as Families Forced to Pay Ransom for Bodies
The collapse which sparked the wave of protests continues unabated and the Rial's value has reached a low of 1,500,000 to the dollar. According to the UN, security forces are pulling injured people from their beds while families of the killed are required to pay ransoms of thousands of dollars. "The Revolutionary Guards took dozens of operated patients, their fate is unknown"
The Iranian currency plunged today (Tuesday) to an unprecedented low of 1,500,000 to the dollar, according to several websites tracking the Rial's exchange rate. This comes weeks after its collapse led to the outbreak of economic protests that later developed into massive demonstrations against the regime and potential intervention by the United States, which is concentrating significant forces in the region.
Despite the digital darkness enveloping the Islamic Republic for nearly 20 days, testimonies emerging from the country provide a partial picture of atrocities committed by security forces, led by the Revolutionary Guards loyal to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Injured Protesters Dragged from Hospitals
The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Mai Sato, stated yesterday that reports have been received regarding the transfer of protesters injured during the wave of protests from hospitals to detention by Iranian security forces. She described this as a "grave violation of the right to medical treatment under international law."
According to her, families of the deceased are being required to pay a ransom of 5,000 to 7,000 dollars to receive the bodies of their loved ones, a particularly heavy burden given the worsening economic problems in Iran.
Death Toll Estimates Vary
Protests, which have spread since December, have been met with the most brutal suppression since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, sparking international condemnation, while Iran has blocked internet services since January 8.
According to the human rights agency HRANA, approximately 5,937 people have been killed, including 214 security personnel, compared to 3,117 deaths according to official figures.
Sato stated that this is a significant underestimation of the true number of casualties. Other reports estimate the numbers reach tens of thousands with some as high as 40,000.
Medical Neutrality Violated
Iranian healthcare workers testified that security forces raided hospitals, searching for injured protesters and even collecting medical records. A doctor in the city of Rasht in northern Iran recounted: "Dozens of gunshot victims were operated on in the hospital and were subsequently taken by the Revolutionary Guards, with their fate unknown." Medical staff in Tehran also reported searches in all ward rooms.
Sato warned that this conduct deters citizens from seeking medical treatment, constituting a severe violation of the principle of medical neutrality and the Geneva Conventions. Based on Iranian reports, she noted that unarmed protesters were hit by gunfire to the chest, head, and eyes, indicating injury to vital organs and the use of lethal force by security forces. "International law permits such force only as a last resort and proportionally," she said. She added that authorities' attempts to portray protesters as "terrorists" were intended to justify the crackdown on the protest.