Doctors in Iran claim plainclothes security agents have deliberately obstructed medical care for injured protesters. Reports indicate agents have blocked access to emergency rooms, surrounded patients, and prevented treatment, leading to preventable deaths.
One doctor recounted an incident where a man shot in the head was denied immediate care, with agents surrounding him and preventing medical professionals from intervening. The patient died shortly after. Doctors described agents monitoring critical patients, intimidating staff, and seizing bodies from hospitals.
These allegations suggest a pattern of brutality and the militarization of health facilities. Dozens of doctors have reportedly been arrested for performing their duties. The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Center has documented similar accounts of security forces preventing medical care and harassing medical staff.
Despite these claims, a Health Ministry spokesperson has denied any interference with treatment, stating all injured were treated "without any discrimination." Tehran has consistently downplayed protest casualties, attributing them to "terrorists."