The Iraqi suppressive force under the Prime Minister’s office, in recent days, have increased medical siege and persecution of patients and wounded and use medical facilities as a means of psychological torture of the residents.
Security forces insult patients who go to Baghdad hospitals with various pretenses and usually delay their going such that in many cases all or the majority of their medical appointments are cancelled. These agents body search patients in a degrading and medieval way, take away their personal belongings even their food and constantly interfere in their medical treatment, preventing Iraqi doctors to do their job by creating an atmosphere of fear.
On Saturday December 16, when an Iraqi physician prescribed physiotherapy for one of the wounded of April 9, 2011 attack on Ashraf, the Prime Ministry agent prevented the patient to visit the physiotherapist.
In another case, when a specialist instructed a surgery for one of the wounded, the Iraqi agent asked other physicians to certify that the patient did not need a surgery.
In the case of another patient, the Iraqi agent prevented the purchase of the prescribed medication by the physician and forced the patient back to Liberty.
During the visit of a female patient by a specialist, two security agents entered the office that was strongly protested by the patient and the physician.
The Iranian resistance calls on the UN Secretary General, the US government, the European Union and all international human rights organizations, as well as medical associations to condemn this cruel siege and inhumane treatment that is a violation of human rights and international humanitarian law, and urges immediate action to end this four year old psychological torture and medical siege that so far has caused slow death of 14 patients and wounded.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
December 16, 2012