News Center – Iran has witnessed a wave of arrests targeting a number of medical workers in various parts of the country, amid reports of increasing pressure on employees in the health sector. These developments come in what some describe as attempts to limit media coverage of the current conditions inside healthcare facilities.

According to published reports, Iranian security forces arrested three members of medical staff in different cities over the past few days. The report states that those detained are: Sheida Riahi Shalvani, a physician at Seyed al-Shohada Hospital in Isfahan; Fatemeh Afshari, an operating room specialist in Tehran; and Mohammad Reza Abdollahpour, an operating room technician in Tonekabon. They were arrested for unknown reasons by forces affiliated with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. So far, no precise information has been released regarding their whereabouts, the charges against them, or their legal status.

The arrests of medical personnel come amid reports of pressure being exerted on healthcare workers for assisting those injured during the recent protests. Although the authorities of the Islamic Republic deny arresting any medical staff for helping the wounded, the Secretary-General of the Nurses’ Union confirmed the arrests and announced that a large number of nurses and medical workers have been detained.