Letter to the
World Health Organization:
The Coronavirus Disaster in Iran
۲۶ February 2020
Dear Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
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
