Iranian Regime Forces Storm Hospital, Attack Wounded Protesters And Medical Staff, Reports Say

Iran’s security forces reportedly raided a hospital in a Kurdish-majority region and assaulted wounded protesters and medical personnel, according to multiple accounts and human rights reports cited Thursday by the New York Post.

Footage circulating online from a January 4 raid at Imam Khomeini Hospital shows security forces firing at protesters gathered outside before forcing their way into the building and discharging live ammunition and tear gas inside the medical facility.

At the time of the raid, the hospital was treating more than 40 people who had been shot and injured during protests, a 38-year-old nurse told DW.

“We knew the security agents were coming to arrest the wounded or record their identities,” the nurse, who spoke anonymously, said.

“People gathered at the entrance to stop them,” she added. “At the same time, we were desperately short of blood, so calls for donors went out on social media.

“But the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and special units prevented donors from reaching us.”

According to reports cited by human rights organizations, the siege of the hospital lasted more than 24 hours. During that time, patients, doctors, nurses, and even children were injured as security forces continued their assault.

“Security forces allegedly raided the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, deploying tear gas and beating patients and medical personnel,” the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in its most recent Fact-Finding Mission report.

One witness told DW that at least 11 wounded protesters receiving treatment were taken away by the IRGC, while five others were reportedly left handcuffed to their hospital beds.

The World Medical Association strongly condemned the raid, calling it a direct attack on healthcare workers and a violation of international humanitarian law.

“Doctors must never be forced to choose between their professional ethics and their personal safety. Intimidating physicians, interfering with patient care, or turning hospitals into sites of enforcement are unacceptable violations of medical neutrality,” said Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu, president of the World Medical Association.

“The Iranian authorities must immediately cease all intimidation of healthcare professionals, respect the inviolability of medical facilities, and guarantee that doctors can provide care freely, safely, and without fear,” Kitulu added.

Iranian security forces have been repeatedly accused of extreme violence at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ilam, an impoverished, minority-majority province that has seen some of the harshest crackdowns against anti-government protesters as unrest continues across the country.