Iranian security forces have conducted a violent raid on a major hospital treating wounded protesters, sparking international condemnation and highlighting the escalating brutality of the government’s crackdown. The unprecedented attack on medical facilities represents a dangerous escalation in tactics used against demonstrators demanding economic relief and political change. Eyewitness accounts describe scenes of chaos as armed personnel stormed treatment areas where injured civilians sought medical care and safety from ongoing street violence.
Unparalleled security operation turns hospital into battlefield
The scene shifted to the Imam Khomeini Hospital in the province of Ilam, where the violence erupted between the Revolutionary Guards and special police forces who besieged the hospital. More than 40 injured protesters had been rushed to the hospital after a series of deaths occurred in the nearby Malekshahi area, where the government forces fired at the protesters with live bullets. The hospital was not prepared for the influx of patients that needed urgent attention.
The medical personnel were working tirelessly to save lives, while the families of the injured were outside the building, leading to standoffs between them and the approaching forces. The situation escalated quickly as the authorities attempted to arrest injured protesters and take their identities for possible prosecution. The blood shortage was becoming acute as the security forces prevented people from reaching the hospital, and some citizens were arrested while trying to help the injured protesters.
Security forces storm medical wards with guns
The Revolutionary Guards fired tear gas canisters at hospitals, as well as shotguns, to intimidate patients and medical staff during the siege. The security forces broke glass entrance doors and stormed patient wards, beating injured protesters, medical staff, and family members with batons. Patients in the pediatric ward experienced severe respiratory problems from tear gas, while patients in the intensive care units were chained to their beds during interrogation sessions.
International outcry follows reports of attack on hospital
The raid on the hospital was condemned by Amnesty International as a “blatant breach of international law, as attacks on civilian hospitals are potential war crimes under the Fourth Geneva Convention.” Evidence collected by the human rights organization proved that security forces raided the hospital on several occasions, taking away injured protesters receiving treatment there, as well as members of their families. Other human rights organizations also documented attempts by the government to take custody of protesters who had died during demonstrations to prevent mourning ceremonies.
“The attack by Iranian security forces on a hospital in Ilam, where injured demonstrators need medical attention or shelter, is prohibited by international law,” said Amnesty International in its official statement on the unprecedented attack on hospitals.
The United States State Department was critical of the Iranian government’s behavior, calling it “obvious crimes against humanity” on its Farsi-language social media pages. President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation into the Ilam events, with the Iranian parliament announcing that the Health Committee will examine claims of security forces’ entry into hospitals.
Protests go on despite a violent crackdown by the government
This attack on a hospital comes against the backdrop of national protests that have begun with an economic overtone, shifting increasingly towards more political demands for a change of government. At least 29 protesters have been confirmed dead in nine days of protests, with hundreds more injured by live bullets, pellet guns, and physical violence during arrests, according to sources.
More than 1,200 protesters have been arrested at 257 points in 88 cities and 27 provinces across the nation, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. The demonstrations have now spread to smaller cities and towns in Iran, which shows the horizontal growth of the unrest in various strata of Iranian society. There is now a rising call for the exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi and the overthrow of the Islamic Republic by the demonstrators, which is a sharp departure from the past reformist movements in Iran.
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