THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CEST
Despite Serious Shortages in the Health Sector, Five Thousand Iranian Nurses Were Fired
Mohammad Mirzabeigi, the head of the Iranian regime’s nursing organization admitted on Sunday, May 15, that 5,000 nurses had been fired in the past three months.
Admitting that “there is a shortage of more than 100,000 nurses in the country”, the official, who was speaking at a press conference, acknowledged that “in the last three months, some of the 5,000 nurses working through the Covid-19 pandemic period have been promised by some universities that their contracts will be extended. But despite the planning and promises made, with Covid-19 contracting numbers dropping, the universities have stopped cooperating with the nurses.”
“We must have at least four nurses per 1,000 people,” Mirzabeigi said of the huge gap with international standards. “For every bed in a hospital, we should have 6 nurses around the clock, but we have limited ourselves to 2.5 and now we have 1.2 nurses for a 24-hour cycle. We should have at least three nurses per doctor, but the number of nurses is much less.”
Calls for Regime Change in Northern Iran
While the uprising over the soaring prices of bread and other food staples has reached several provinces in various corners of the country, the northern city of Fuman in Gilan Province witnessed a new incident of loudspeakers calling for regime change.
May 15 – Fuman, northern #Iran
11:00 pm local time
Anti-regime slogans aired in public
"Death to high prices/Khamenei/Raisi!"
"Mullahs get lost!"
"We want neither the Shah, nor the mullahs! Damn them both!"#IranProtests #اعتراضات_سراسری pic.twitter.com/nSucxZk2cu— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 16, 2022
Another Execution Reported in Southeast Iran
The Iranian regime’s Judiciary executed a prisoner in Iranshahr prison in Sistan and Baluchestan province on Saturday, May 14. The prisoner was identified as Mohammad Bameri, son of Elias and a resident of Daman village, located in the northeast of Iranshahr city in Sistan and Baluchestan province.
The prisoner was charged with “murder”, but Mohammad himself denied the allegations even during the interrogations. According to reports, the plaintiff requested payment of one billion tomans in exchange for consent to spare his life, but Mohammad’s family was unable to pay this amount.
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CEST
Fears of Explosive Society Forces Tehran to Reconsider Arrangements for Football Matches
Iranian state media reported on Sunday, May 15, that according to a new order, all football matches of national leagues, including Iran’s Premier League and lower levels, will henceforth be held without spectators.
The reasons given for this decision are told to be “the lack of health instructions related to the Covid-19 pandemic in stadiums in recent weeks” as well as the disconnect of the ticket sales websites to a system that is controlling Covid-19 vaccinations.
According to the state-run website Entekhab, a communiqué sent by the Ministry of Interior has stressed the need to stabilize the controlled conditions of Coronavirus. Apparently, the ministry has found out that health procedures have not been considered in most stadiums in the country and therefore it is now ordering to hold all sports competitions without spectators.
Though political observers speculate that with the spreading of popular protests in various Iranian cities in recent days, the regime’s Interior Ministry is concerned that any gathering of large crowds can spark new protests and riots.
Iran: Fifth Day of Anti-regime Protests Triggered by High Food Prices
On Saturday, May 15, people in several Iranian cities took to the streets for the fifth consecutive day of anti-regime protests. These protests are ongoing despite intense security measures and limited internet connectivity.
Protests began over the sudden spike in the price of food and other basic goods but have quickly turned into anti-regime protests with calls for regime change.
Protests Continue Across Iran Despite Massive Crackdown
On Saturday night, May 14, despite an intense crackdown nationwide, the Iranian people took to the streets for the fourth consecutive night in anti-regime demonstrations sparked by a recent price surge in food staples.
The cities of Quchan, Hafshejan, Farsan and Babaheydar in Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari province; Borujerd and Boroujen; and the town of Razavieh in Tehran province, among others, witnessed protesters taking to the streets
Lethal State Crackdown on Food Protests in Iran Amid Internet Blackouts
A new wave of nationwide protests was triggered last week by a cut in state subsidies for imported wheat that caused price hikes of as much as 300% for a variety of flour-based staples.
The prices of essential goods including bread, milk, dairy products, eggs, poultry, and cooking oil have also risen sharply amid Iran’s 40-percent inflation rate.
The cities of Andimeshk, Dezful, Izeh, Droud, Shahrekord, Junqan, Yasuj, and Neishabour were among areas hit by protests over skyrocketing prices of food staples.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – May 15, 2022
