- Alireza Zali, head of the National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce (NCCT) in Tehran: The period between hospitalization and death in many cases in Tehran has fallen to less than 48 hours. Some patients have died in 24 hours, and the medical staff did not have the opportunity to take care of the patient. If the outbreak increases, we in Tehran will be affected 3 to 5 times more, and the death toll will increase by one and a half to three times. (ISNA, October 3, 2020)
- The spokesperson for the regime Health Ministry: The upward slope of infection and hospitalization in Tehran is continuing disturbingly. There are currently 4,605 Coronavirus patients admitted; 912 are in ICU. (Mehr News Agency, October 3, 2020)
- Isfahan University of Medical Sciences: We lost 180 patients in the last week of August. Then it increased to over 200, and last week we lost about 270 patients. In other words, we are losing 30 to 40 patients daily. We must declare public mourning. (State TV, October 2, 2020)
- Nine female prisoners have been infected in Tabriz. Masoumeh Senobari, a political prisoner, is among the patients who have been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of insulting Khamenei and for propaganda against the regime and in favor of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK). In Tabriz prison, there is no doctor for women prisoners and no place to hospitalize them. Patients are not isolated from other prisoners, and the infection rate is high.
- Iranian Resistance urges the United Nations to take urgent action for the temporary release of prisoners to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and to form an international commission of inquiry to visit Iranian prisons and meet with prisoners, especially female political prisoners.
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Saturday, October 3, 2020, that the number of Coronavirus death toll in 450 cities exceeded 115,100. The number of victims in Tehran is 27,201, Khorasan Razavi 8,584, Khuzestan 7,473, Isfahan 5,774, Lorestan 5,097, East Azerbaijan 3,943, Sistan and Baluchestan 3,386, West Azerbaijan 3,002, Fars 3,101, Hamedan 3,077, North Khorasan 2,034, Ardabil 1,356, Zanjan 1,083, Qazvin 1,069, Ilam 960, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari 873, and South Khorasan 837.
A large number of prisoners in different cities have been infected with Coronavirus. At least nine female prisoners in Tabriz prison are among the patients. There is no doctor in this prison for female prisoners and no place to hospitalize them, and because patients are not isolated, the prevalence is high.
Masoumeh Senobari, a 32-year-old political prisoner, is among the infected prisoners at Tabriz Prison. Masoumeh, who is the mother of one, was arrested on March 6, 2019, and was severely tortured in Tabriz Intelligence Detention Center, from which she is still suffering. She was released on bail in August 2019 and arrested again on February 5, 2020. On February 15, 2020, she was sentenced to eight years in prison on the charge of insulting Khamenei, propaganda against the regime, and in support of the MEK. The efforts of the nine prisoners’ families to temporarily release them have been rejected by the prison officials. While prison food is very poor and inedible for patients, prisoners are unable to have their basic needs.
The Iranian Resistance urges the United Nations Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner and Human Rights Council, and the relevant rapporteurs as well as the international human rights organizations to take urgent action to secure the temporary release of detainees and to prevent a catastrophe among hundreds of thousands of detainees. The Iranian Resistance once again emphasizes the need to form an international commission of inquiry and visits to Iranian prisons to meet with prisoners, especially female political prisoners.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
October 3, 2020
