Iran: Coronavirus death toll rises to 23,100 in 251 cities nationwide
Maryam Rajavi: Once again Khamenei demonstrated the clerical regime’s deadly impasse, disregard for the people’s lives, and concern to keep power
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK) announced today, April 9, 2020, that the Coronavirus death toll exceeded 23,100 in 251 cities across Iran. The number of victims in Tehran is 3,050, Gilan 2,100, Khorasan Razavi 1,900, Isfahan 1,810, Khuzestan 1,000, Alborz 910, Kermanshah 670, West Azerbaijan 650, Hamedan at least 590, Lorestan 540, Kurdistan 390, Semnan 370, Kerman 365, East Azerbaijan 355, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad 135, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari 100, and Bushehr 80.
Medical sources in Karaj point out that the death toll in that city alone is more than 800, and victims buried because of acute respiratory illness as the cause of death were all infected with Coronavirus. According to these sources, the number of (Coronavirus) deaths in Alborz Province is more than 20 per day when adding those whose cause of death is not specified, the toll rise to at least 30.
In Neyshabur (northeast Iran), the number of victims is increasing every day. Hospitals are unable to respond, and the city’s main cemetery is facing severe shortages. As of April 6, 2020, about 180 victims were buried in the city’s main cemetery. The suppressive forces prevent people from moving freely to the cemetery. Patients who die in the villages are buried there and are not counted anywhere.
While Khamenei and Rouhani are forcing people back to work, Alireza Zali, head of Tehran’s National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce (NCCT), said: “Since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, we have always seen an increase in the number of patients, except for two or three days … In the last three days, we have seen a surge in the number of critical patients referring to the outpatient, inpatient and intensive care units, which is worrying … Tehran is one of the most important hotspots for the outbreak, incomparable to any other province.” The death toll in Tehran is so high that Zali described the efforts of municipal officials and the Behesht-e Zahra Cemetery Organization to handle the bodies of the deceased as “a great epic.”
Three days ago, Rouhani declared the situation in Sistan and Baluchestan clear (virus-free). Yesterday, the state daily Shahrvand wrote that in a letter to the governor, Seyed-Saeid Seyed-Hosseini, the head of Zahedan’s Medical Organization, emphasized that the number of patients had increased 2.5 times in the past ten days. He wrote, “I am concerned about the onset of the second strong wave of the virus in the province in the coming days. If the number of patients increases, the requirements for protection, medicine, and hospital beds would not be sufficient.” According to the same newspaper, 26 people have died in Sistan and Baluchestan, registered as Coronavirus infected and 135 for acute respiratory symptoms (the pseudonym for Coronavirus).
While the religious dictatorship’s corruption and incompetence have led to more deaths every day, after a two-week absence, today, Khamenei, made no reference to the countless Coronavirus victims in his 45-minute speech, nor did he offer condolences to the grieving people, or mention the severe problems the people are facing, or make any promises to contribute any aid from the hundreds of billions of dollars of the plundered wealth of the Iranian people, by financial cartels under his control.
Addressing the Coronavirus pandemic, Khamenei said: “This is a minor issue compared to many other problems; we have seen many problems in the world and in our own country that were not any less problematic…We should not be negligent of the conspiracies of our enemies and foes, … Let no one think that we will not have any enemies if we end our hostilities. They cannot accept, comprehend, and tolerate the Islamic Republic.”
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said: Once again, Khamenei demonstrated the clerical regime’s deadly impasse and his regime’s disregard for people’s lives. He made it clear that he is only concerned with preserving the ruling theocracy. As always, Khamenei sought to divert people’s attention from the regime’s crimes in the Coronavirus disaster by invoking to enemies and foes conspiracies. This is while 80 million Iranians are living under the pressure and repression of the mullahs’ regime.
Regarding the killing of prisoners and the horrific conditions of the regime’s prisons, today, Amnesty International announced that it feared 36 prisoners had been killed by security forces in Iranian prisons. Independent investigations must be carried out immediately into the deaths of Iranian prisoners. Those responsible must be brought to justice.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
April 9, 2020
