Iran: Coronavirus death toll surpasses 3,300 in 149 cities
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) announced this afternoon that the number of Coronavirus fatalities in 149 cities nationwide has surpassed 3,300. The Number of victims in Qom is 520, Gilan 510, greater Tehran 500, Alborz 140, Qazvin 104, Mazandaran 200, Khorasan Razavi 302, Golestan 276, Kermanshah 110, Khuzestan 108, Fars Province 106, Lorestan 82, East Azerbaijan 26, and Yazd 23.
The spread of Coronavirus, which is a direct result of the regime’s cover-up, mismanagement, and pervasive government corruption, has led to confusion and aggravated internal feuding among the ruling factions.
Today, Hassan Rouhani, believed to have been sidelined and absent for a few days, commented on Coronavirus at a cabinet meeting, where the participants were sitting at a distance from each other. Contradicting his earlier comments, he warned that the virus should be taken seriously. A Parliament Deputy said that the Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani had written to Khamenei, requesting that the Cabinet take charge of the “committee to combat Coronavirus.” Subsequently, Khamenei assigned Rouhani to undertake that task.
In his remarks, Rouhani again shamelessly tried to cover up the regime’s incompetence by downplaying the scale of the catastrophe. He said, “Frankly, let’s not exaggerate the scale of this virus crisis any more than what it really is. Suddenly, some people claim that a province was totally destroyed, but when the Governor says only 12 have died and 120 have been discharged from the hospital on that day!”
Contrary to Rouhani’s remarks, Shahabuddin Bimeghdar, a Parliament Deputy, said today: “In the small town of Golestan, 40 people have died of Coronavirus. The virus was transmitted by several attendees at an Islamic development conference in Qom. The belated reference is to the death of 40 people who had been infected in the small town of Gonbad-Kavus.
To counter the real figures from leaking, the regime’s Prosecutor General, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri warned in a statement: “Any comments (regarding Coronavirus) outside of the approved procedure are a breach of national security and the nation’s interest. Offenders will be treated according to the laws.”
Montazeri added that releasing Coronavirus-related statistics “disturbs public opinion and undermines society’s psychological security ” and is “a criminal act punishable by law under Articles 286, 698 and 746 of the Islamic Penal Code” with “severe consequences”.
In another development, the situation in prisons is getting worse. At Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, political prisoners have been transferred to a ward housing virus-infected inmate. Today, Parvaneh Salahshuri, a regime MP admitted, “All prisoners are endangered due to the widespread outbreak of Coronavirus in Iran… while generally, the hygienic and sanitary conditions in prisons are unacceptable”. “Another problem is setting heavy bail for prisoners. In the past few days, bails as high as several hundred million Tomans have been set as bail for the temporary release of the prisoners,” she added.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reiterated that due to the inhumane conditions of the prisons, prisoners, especially political prisoners must be released immediately without any bail or conditions, otherwise Coronavirus outbreak will cause a human catastrophe in prisons.
Mrs. Rajavi also warned of the deteriorating plight of the Sunni compatriots in areas such as Gonbad-Kavus (northeast Iran), noting that Sunni residents in city, including 500 villages, are subjected to dual pressure. They are suffering from the lack of any medical and hygiene facilities. Dozens of them have already lost their lives. The World Health Organization, therefore, must in particular help these disadvantaged people because the regime will do nothing for them.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
March 11, 2020
