In Iran, a wave of arrests of doctors and medical volunteers who provided assistance to the wounded during the suppression of anti-government protests continues.
The Guardian writes about this.
At least nine doctors and volunteers have been detained in the past week alone, with security forces raiding makeshift medical facilities and searching the homes of doctors who treated injured protesters.
According to the Norwegian human rights organization Hengaw, Iranian authorities have charged 52-year-old surgeon Alireza Golchini with “mohareb” — “war against God”, which carries the death penalty. A few days before his arrest, Golchini posted a phone number on social media where the injured could contact him for medical help.
According to Iran Human Rights, a volunteer who set up a first aid station in his own home was among those detained. He was arrested on January 14 after a search during which security forces found evidence of providing aid to more than 20 injured protesters. Two of them later died.
The US State Department called on Tehran to immediately release the detained doctors. The statement noted that President Donald Trump opposes the use of the death penalty against protesters and warns the Iranian authorities of responsibility in the event of further repression.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 42 324 people have been detained across the country. Human rights activists also report more than 6 000 confirmed deaths during the protests, with more than 17 000 deaths under investigation.
The crackdown on protests and the persecution of doctors come amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States. On the eve, Washington threatened Tehran with new, much larger strikes, while the Iranian authorities declared their readiness for a harsh response.
- Protests in Iran began in late December 2025 and are still ongoing — initially people took to the streets because of the collapse of the currency, rising prices, and falling incomes, and then the demands broadened: people are demanding political change, the resignation of the leadership, the release of political prisoners, and greater freedom, including rights for women.
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