Letter to the World Health Organization: The Coronavirus Disaster in Iran

A human catastrophe is about to unfold in Iran. The coronavirus epidemic is rapidly getting out of control. I am therefore writing to urge you to take emergency measures on Iran.

The World Health Organization’s announcement that a team is due to travel to Iran this weekend is an important first step. However, given the dangerous scale of the problem, more serious measures are urgently needed. In Iran we are dealing with a government that does not take the slightest responsibility towards the public. Stopping the explosive outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran can only be achieved via international pressure and by protests from within the country.

According to one member of the regime’s National Assembly from the city of Qom (where the first cases of the disease were reported), over 50 people are believed to have died from the virus, with the names of 40 of the victims being passed to the authorities. However, the government claims that only 19 people have died out of 139 confirmed cases so far. Clearly, nobody, not even from within the regime itself, believes what the government says.

All evidence so far points to lies and a coverup by the Islamic Republic. Reports by doctors from various hospitals show that a much larger number of people than what the government admits have been affected by the disease. Containment measures by the authorities have also been lacking. President Rouhani stated yesterday that from this Saturday everything should get back to normal, and that whoever presents the situation as dangerous is ‘our enemy’. This is just one example of the Islamic Republic’s reckless behaviour towards this unfolding tragedy. While, following the news of the outbreak in China, many countries began introducing precautionary measures, including stopping flights from China, in Iran in the past three weeks alone there have been 55 flights to and from China. This is at a time when by the regime’s own admission the outbreak of the virus in the city of Qom was due to travels to China.

In the past few days students in 67 universities have called for the closure of the universities. Also, workers in a number of industries, including the railways, have protested about the lack of contingency measures. However, the authorities have refused to close down schools and universities or even to stop the gatherings in the religious centres in the city of Qom, or restrict travels to and from the city, despite the fact that Qom has been the epicentre of the epidemic in Iran, with the majority of the victims being from that city. On the contrary, even some of the regime’s religious leaders have claimed that the coronavirus outbreak in Qom is a rumour spread by the enemies of Islam! In addition to the deaths in Qom, at least six passengers of flights from Iran to Canada, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon have tested positive for corona, which points to the shocking scale of the coronavirus epidemic in Iran.

The staff in hospitals speak of the shortage of specialised masks. Lack of disinfectants and basic masks in the stores is also being reported from around the country. Given this situation and the regime’s reckless behaviour, coverup and failure to introduce immediate precautionary measures and allocate sufficient funds and resources for the containment of the disease, an enormous tragedy is about to unfold in Iran. All indications are that the virus will spread on an explosive scale and will be out of control. In that case, not only the people of Iran, but the rest of the world will face a serious threat.

Only through protests by the people within Iran and via global pressure can the Islamic Republic be forced to adopt the necessary measures to contain the disease. The World Health Organization can play a crucial role in averting an enormous tragedy. The team due to travel to Iran must have free and independent access to doctors and other health care professionals so a true report of the situation may be compiled for release to the people in Iran and the world. Furthermore, the WHO should publicly apply pressure on the Islamic Republic and bring what is already known and the facts about the potential and actual dangers of the situation in Iran to the attention of the world. The people of Iran need help, and before it is too late, international bodies, and specifically the World Health Organization, must take appropriate actions in the face of the irresponsible behaviour of the Islamic Republic. Only in this way and in accord with the wishes and struggle of the people of Iran can the Islamic Republic be forced to provide information with transparency and set aside the necessary resources for combating the coronavirus in Iran.

Yours sincerely

Mina Ahadi

Spokesperson for the Worker-communist Party of Iran

E: minaahadi26@gmail.com
Tel: 0049 (0) 1775692413

FB: @mina.ahadi.50

T: @MinaAhadi9

www.mina-ahadi.de

Links in this post:

https://www.who.int/dg/election/tedros/en/

https://en.radiofarda.com/a/canadian-researchers-say-18-000-people-might-be-infected-with-coronavirus-in-iran-/30455564.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51651454

https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-mission-briefing-on-covid-19—26-february-2020