United Nations Special Rapporteur on Iran Mai Sato has reported receiving accounts that Iranian security forces have removed injured demonstrators from medical facilities and taken them into custody, actions she characterized as a clear breach of the right to medical care under international law. In an interview conducted by video link, Sato additionally said families have been confronted with demands for payments between $5,000 and $7,000 to retrieve the bodies of loved ones.
The protests, which began in December and spread nationwide, have triggered what observers describe as the most lethal government response since 1979. Internet access in Iran has been cut off since January 8, complicating communication and independent reporting.
Two separate tallies of fatalities linked to the unrest exist. U.S.-based rights group HRANA places the death toll at 5,937, a figure that includes 214 security personnel. Official Iranian statistics put the number at 3,117. Sato said she could not independently verify either count but expressed the view that casualties likely exceed official figures.
Reports from hospitals and medical staff
Sato described multiple reports from hospital staff across several provinces indicating that security forces had raided their facilities. She said families who visited hospitals the day after such actions sometimes found their relatives missing.
Medical workers who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to reporters some of the incidents Sato referenced. One physician in Rasht recounted that dozens of gunshot victims who had undergone surgery were later removed by members of the Revolutionary Guards, with medical staff left uncertain about their fate. "Dozens of patients were in our hospital with gunshot wounds. They had undergone surgery, and then the Revolutionary Guards came and took them all away. We don’t know what happened to them," the doctor said.
Staff at Tehran hospitals also reported visits by Revolutionary Guards and police, who inquired about records of protesters admitted to and discharged from hospitals and searched clinical areas. A nurse described security personnel checking every room in the facility in search of wounded demonstrators.
Public health and legal implications
Sato warned that these practices have a chilling effect, deterring individuals from seeking medical care for fear of arrest - a dynamic that can lead to preventable deaths or deterioration of health conditions. She described such conduct as a serious violation of medical neutrality, noting that under the Geneva Conventions, doctors, hospitals and patients are to be protected so that impartial care can be provided.
According to Sato, unarmed protesters across Iran's 31 provinces have suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and head - areas that indicate use of lethal force directed at vital organs. She said international law allows lethal force only as a last resort and with proportionality, and that killings in such circumstances would amount to unlawful deaths and arbitrary killings. Reports also indicate a rise in eye injuries caused by pellets.
On the subject of demands for money to return bodies, Sato said: "This practice really compounds grief with extortion." She further criticized state efforts to brand protesters as "terrorists" or "rioters," saying these labels appear intended to justify a forceful response to what she described as a local, organic movement.
Verification limits and responses
Sato reiterated the constraints on her ability to independently verify casualty figures and other reports. The Iranian mission in Geneva did not immediately provide comment when asked about the allegations.
The accounts from anonymous medical staff offer corroboration for some of the claims Sato cited, but the overall picture remains difficult to confirm comprehensively due to restricted communications and the contested nature of casualty reporting.
As the situation evolves, the combination of reported hospital raids, detention of patients, ransom demands for bodies, and a disrupted information environment underscores significant challenges for humanitarian access and the protection of medical services.