Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, October 22, 2019—The locals of the Chenar Mahmoudi village near the city of Lordegan, recently hit by an HIV-outbreak due to the negligence of regime authorities, held a rally on Sunday, October 20, protesting oppressive policies imposed by the mullahs’ regime, according to a statement issued by the Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Regime authorities dispatched anti-riot police units to the area, raiding people’s homes and arresting a large number of locals, especially the youth. Some were seen being dragged on the ground and transferred to nearby police vehicles. Desperate to prevent any news of these attacks from leaking into social media and the outside world, authorities were frantic in confiscating and completely destroying the locals’ mobile phones.
On Saturday, October 5, the city of Lordegan witnessed a massive uprising by thousands of people protesting the HIV outbreak that left nearly 300 locals, including children, infected with the virus after authorities used contaminated needles in blood tests.
Angry protesters attacked and torched the city mayor’s office, the representative office of the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a number of other government institutions. Security forces killed a young man named Sa’adatollah Mousavi and injured several others.
Locals of Lordegan had also attacked the convoy of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiary province governor and a senior IRGC official as several regime officials were visiting the village to whitewash the horrendous crime that rendered the HIV outbreak.
Locals of Lordegan, southern #Iran, attacking the convoy of Chaharmahal & Bakhtiary governor & a senior IRGC official.
Several regime officials visited the village where health authorities' negligence resulted in nearly 300 people being infected with HIV.pic.twitter.com/hUVJHHcjJW
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 7, 2019
These senior regime officials had the audacity to even blame the residents themselves, saying an HIV crisis in this area has a long history.
“The people of Chenar Mahmoud are scared,” one villager said. “Many refrain from taking blood tests out of fear of finding out they have been infected. Every family of two or three has become inflicted with the virus. Anyone who has taken the test has turned out to be positive. And no one asks this regime, why do you need to test a nine-year-old kid for cholesterol and blood sugar and inflict them with AIDS.”
Regarding the incident, one of the residents said, “The health ministry came to our village for free blood sugar and insulin tests. The syringes they employed had already been used and were infected with the virus. Anyone who was tested became inflicted with an unknown virus. Some people say it’s HIV. Some say it’s a similar virus. Now, after a few weeks, they’ve brought in a doctor from Tehran to test the residents and figure out which virus it is.”
Since protest erupted due to the Lordegan AIDs outbreak, the regime launched measures to establish an undeclared martial law in the city. Security forces dispatched to Lordegan included units of the terrorist-designated Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the Basij paramilitary and plainclothes agents, according to reports from inside Iran. Regime forces also began night raids targeting homes of citizens and arresting dozens.
Authorities also blocked the road to the Chenar Mahmoudi and expanded its already massive security presence to neighboring villages and towns. All the while, officials never took any concrete action to tend to the needs of Lordegan citizens who now have to cope with the devastating aftermath of being infected with the HIV virus and later suffering from AIDS.
Oct 5 – Chenar Mahmoud village, Lordegan, southern #Iran
"Not Gaza, Not Lebanon; My life for Iran"Locals rallying outside the local Health Dept., protesting the infection of 300 residents to AIDS due to the use of infected syringes.
State police attacks.pic.twitter.com/UQqpoiFT9i— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 5, 2019
