Health and Hygiene

Radiofarda – On Wednesday the President of Iran Medical Council said that the number of people infected by coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran is “definitely” much higher than what the country’s Ministry of Health announces. Dr. Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi who heads the licensing and regulatory body for Iranian healthcare professionals also dismissed the authorities’ claim that coronavirus infection has reached its …

Amnesty – Responding to the announcement by the Iranian authorities that pardons will be granted to prisoners convicted of “security” offences who have a five-year prison sentence or less, and that those who have been granted leave in recent weeks will not be returned to prison, Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Research and Advocacy Director, said: …

CHRI – Stand with Healthcare Workers Battling COVID-19 March 18, 2020 — The Center for Human Rights in Iran stands in solidarity with the people of Iran during this time of great national trauma and suffering, and sends a message of hope and strength with the arrival of the Persian New Year. As Iranian families remember the beautiful traditions of …

Al-Monitor – “A good year ahead can be seen in a good spring,” goes a popular Persian proverb. The idea might ring true enough for Iranians looking back at the Persian year 1398, which comes to a close March 20. “Despite the problems that our enemy was determined to cause it, our nation managed to end the year in triumph,” President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech …

Radiofarda – Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus has reached 1,135, with 147 deaths over the past 24 hours — the highest 24-hour rise yet — state TV reported on March 18, as President Hassan Rouhani defended his government’s response to the outbreak. Iran has been the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, with a total of 17,361 confirmed cases, …

Radiofarda – Two groups of vigilantes on Monday tried to force their way into the shrines in Iran that were closed to the public as a measure against the spread of coronavirus the shrines closed their doors to the public. One group consisted of pro-Khamenei zealots, the other of fanatical followers of a dissident anti-regime cleric. The incidents have caused …

Radiofarda – The Chairman of Iran’s Society of Zoroastrians has said that coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted the small Zoroastrian community in Yazd very hard with a fatality rate much higher than the general population. In a tweet on Tuesday Sepanta Niknam who is also a former representative of Zoroastrians in Iran’s Parliament said the community accounts for 30 percent of …

Radiofarda – The chaotic situation of coronavirus information dissemination in Iran has given rise to many controversies as the performance of Iran’s state-run TV has invited criticism by citizens, as well as artists, journalists and political activists. Amir-Hossein Rostami, an Iranian actor asked critical questions on a live TV program Monday evening, including why the government delayed announcing the coronavirus …

Iran-HRM – Despite official cover-ups on the death toll of the Coronavirus outbreak, the state-run ILNA news agency reported on March 12, 2020 that on the orders of the governor of Khaf, in Razavi Khorassan Province, a large number of graves have been dug on the foothills of Khajeyar Mountains to bury the victims of Coronavirus. The preparations contradict official announcements …

Al-Monitor – As of March 17, the coronavirus epidemic in Iran had killed nearly a thousand people and infected over 16,000 others. For a theocracy like the Islamic Republic, closing down religious sites as a measure to slow transmission is a tough decision, leaving the authorities stuck between a rock and hard place. Yet with the epidemic showing no sign of abating, the Iranian authorities chose …